seniors
2025 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2025 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for Medicare Part A and Part B. CMS also released the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) for Parts B and D. The standard…
Why Does the Government Raid Social Security?
Dear Rusty: The Social Security program is funded by employees and their employers. The federal government does not contribute to the program, right? So why does the federal government feel they have the right to raid the fund? All the…
Can Social Security reform be done relatively fairly?
If Congress does not change the law, the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted by 2033, and at that time, benefits will be cut by 21 percent. Changes to Social Security are coming no matter what, but what if…
The 2025 maximum Social Security benefit
The 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2.5 percent will increase the average monthly benefit from $1,927 to $1,976 per month, a $49 increase, according to the Social Security Administration. However, the maximum Social Security benefit for 2025 will increase from…
Don’t make these retirement planning mistakes
Planning for your retirement can be stressful and overwhelming, but you should not put it off. Although it may seem like light years away, retirement will come sooner than later. How do you ensure that your retirement is the one…
Take the time to review your health plan
The Medicare Open Enrollment Period for 2025 runs from October 15, 2024, to December 7, 2024. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries can review their current coverage and make necessary adjustments for the upcoming year. Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president…
COLA comes with bad news for retirees
The Social Security Administration announced on October 10th that the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be 2.5 percent, which is lower than the 10-year average of 2.8 percent. Inflation has fallen; however, the prices of goods and services are still…
U.S. retirement system drops in global rating
The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Indexed just released its ranking of global retirement systems for this year. The U.S. system came in 29th out of 48 countries, with its overall score dipping to 60.4 out of 100, below the…
What to look for in a side hustle
Retirement, for many, can be a time to relax and enjoy your family and friends, but for some, it means finding a side hustle to fill in the time. In a recent poll of retirees, the average monthly earnings from…
Make sure you do not make these mistakes
As of 2024, more than 71 million Americans receive Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. Approximately 86 percent of the population aged 65 and over receive these benefits. However, most do not realize that some specific actions…