seniors
CMS announces aggressive nationwide crackdown on fraud
In a continuing effort to stop fraud before it starts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking decisive action to protect Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayer dollars through implementation of a six-month, nationwide data-driven moratorium on new Medicare…
How the government calculates your Social Security benefits
Your Social Security benefit is calculated based on your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for wage growth, and then applied to a formula that determines your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). However, this amount can be adjusted based on specific…
Old beneficiary forms can override your final wishes
Many Americans assume that their wills or trusts control all aspects of their financial legacy; however, an outdated beneficiary form can override those instructions. Under federal law governing employer-sponsored plans (ERISA), beneficiary designations operate under contract law, which means the…
The fear of running out of money
The fear of running out of money is more overwhelming than the fear of death itself for almost two-thirds of retirees, according to the latest Allianz Retirement Study. Along with the fear of running out of money, more than 50…
What retirees spend the most on the first year
Even though you have recently retired, there are still expenses you need to be aware of. All retirees are affected by healthcare bills, housing expenses, and travel expenses. Nicole Spector, writing for GoBankingRates, explains how to account for these costs.…
Figuring out your ideal retirement savings number
The recent Northwestern Mutual Survey found that the average respondent estimated they would need $1.46 million to live comfortably in retirement, which is up by almost a quarter of a million dollars from last year. One of the factors driving…
The latest 2027 COLA estimates
Social Security’s Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is a snapshot comparison of Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) measurements from the previous year’s third quarter to the same period in the current year. Since the…
Three questions to ask yourself before you claim your benefits
If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67, which allows you to receive your full benefits. The best age for you to claim your Social Security benefits will depend on factors such as your…
Audit Finds Social Security Processed Small Overpayments It Could Not Cost-Effectively Recover
The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued an audit report finding SSA spent more to recover certain low-dollar Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) overpayments than the amounts it ultimately recovered. Continue reading here… Notice:…
What is Social Security WINDEX calculation?
According to the latest Inspector General, Social Security employees have failed to apply WINDEX to certain survivor claims. WINDEX (Widow(er)’s Indexing) is an alternate formula the Social Security Administration uses to calculate survivor benefits when the deceased worker died before…