seniors
H.R. 82 has reached the necessary signatures
The Social Security Fairness Act has reached the necessary 218 signatures required to force a vote on the bill. This bill will reverse the rules surrounding the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These rules can…
Is anyone paying attention to Social Security?
Molly Dahl, Congressional Budget Office’s Chief of Long-Term Analysis, testified in front of the Senate Budget Committee on the fiscal health of the Social Security Trust funds. “The Social Security trust fund will run out of cash in fiscal year…
Medicare has two trust funds
How are Medicare claims paid? Medicare has two trust funds – Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund -accounts held by the U.S. Treasury. Heather Hobbs explains how Medicare is paid for and who pays…
A working estimate of next year’s COLA
Do you know how the Social Security Administration calculates the annual cost-of-living adjustment? The simplistic version: Based on changes to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the third quarter of the year, from…
Will the elections change your retirement plans?
With the presidential election less than two months away, most Americans are preparing for potential changes to their retirement plans, according to a new study by Wealth Enhancement Group LLC. Over half of unretired Americans fear inflation has postponed their…
Why you should not rely on working in retirement
According to a new survey by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, over 25 percent of workers intend to work in retirement. However, research has shown that workers “often retire earlier than planned, perhaps due to a layoff or poor health.” Granted, it…
The need for a “call to action” for Social Security
According to Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley, “Nearly 30,000 Americans died waiting for their Social Security benefit decision last year.” With more than 70 million Americans who rely on Social Security benefits each month and with half the staffing levels,…
Retirement is evolving
Many people still hold the traditional idea that the retirement age in America is 65, but that is no longer the reality for many Americans. Individuals and companies base their decisions on this traditional retirement age concept. Those decisions range…
Are you guilty of napkin math?
Are you guilty of “napkin math” when deciding when to take Social Security? I think we all are, but how reliable is the math? Do you have all the necessary information to make an informed decision? Dana Anspac explains how…
Do you know what COLA means to retirees?
Although the official annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will not be announced until October 10th, the news media is buzzing with estimates on the percentage of the increase. But what does COLA mean to retirees? Adam Levy outlines…