Social Security
How long does your “nest egg” need to last?
It’s a frightening question to many, especially those who have a pretty good idea that their accumulated retirement savings just might not be sufficient. It’s also a question that by its very nature is unanswerable. It’s sort of like “how…
Social Security and the Candidates: Who’s Saying What?
Political footballs are nothing new, especially in an election year. And Social Security reform has, as expected, risen to the attention of the remaining candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. Just take a look at the exchange of viewpoints that surfaced…
Can Your the Value of Your Social Security Benefits Decrease?
Well, yes, and there are several ways that this could happen. As outlined in an article by Selena Maranjian posted on missoulian.com, there are two scenarios under which benefits could be impacted negatively, with the first being the result of the “earnings test”…
3 Reasons Why Social Security is Important to Women
(Source: Social Security Administration) In the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. Yet, on average, women face greater economic challenges than…
A Beyond-the-Obvious Look at Social Security’s Problems
Yes, the baby boomers who contributed so much to the funding of Social Security over the years are retiring, and that brings with it a two-fold impact: fewer workers paying FICA tax, and more retirees drawing benefits. In addition, we…
The Market Downturn and Your Social Security Strategy
These are strange times, indeed. As 2020 dawned, who’d have seen us plummet into a bear market in a space of less than three weeks? For that matter, who would have thought we’d be self-quarantining ourselves and implementing something called “social…
More Thoughts on Deferring Social Security Benefits
The value of holding off on Social Security benefits is pretty well known these days, and many financial advisors extol the virtue of an 8% return on your deferred benefits (especially in view of the paltry–and declining–interest rates offered by…
Would a coronavirus-driven tax cut be the best solution?
Sure, there’s a substantial level of panic in many quarters of our country right now. Whether it’s in the financial sector, as evidenced by the quick shift from a bull market to bear territory, or the employment sector, with potential…
Biden has come around to the Sanders position on Social Security
This opinion piece by Mark Weisbrot in MarketWatch states that Joe Biden has moved more toward the Bernie Sanders position on Social Security in this campaign. Sanders, standing virtually alone, has been trying to increase benefits since getting to Congress…
Is Social Security Being Cheated Out of Revenue?
The way Sean Williams sees it, the Social Security program was deprived of $190 billion in 2019 because almost $1.6 trillion in earned income avoided the payroll tax last year. As he explains, there is a payroll tax cap, meaning all…