Social Security
Nobel laureate Richard Thaler’s controversial plan - a 401(k) to get more Social Security?
Nobel laureate Richard Thaler is a behavioral economist and professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He notes that those saving for retirement face two problems when it comes to managing their money: how to effectively save…
Three step checklist for retirement
When should I start saving for retirement, people often ask? The answer jokingly is yesterday, but in reality, as soon as possible. Tax-advantaged retirement savings vehicles such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are routinely advocated by financial experts,…
Essentials of The 2019 Social Security Trustees Report
This fourth week of April 2019 is being dominated by release of the annual Trustees Report on Social Security. Little has changed to improve the long-term financial problems facing this program due to changing demographics, but there are a few…
What If I Sign Up for Medicare Before Social Security?
Maurie Backman notes that signing up for Social Security before Medicare matters little as far as the mechanics of it all. Age 62 is currently the most popular age to file for Social Security, even though seniors have between ages…
Beware these retirement planning myths
Kailey Fralick’s article here tries to steer those planning for their golden years away from three common misconceptions that could doom their ability to have a stable, secure retirement. To begin, people in their 20s and 30s think retirement is…
Social Security: Moral Right But Not Legal One
This opinion piece by Mike Plunkett explains a little known but important Social Security case of Flemming v. Nestor. A main point of the majority’s opinion in the case is frequently noted as something of the order that “the government…
Lower retirement costs by spending less - see how here
This article by Maurie Backman notes that retirement is more expensive than people think. Nearly half of older households wind up spending more money, not less, during their first two years of retirement. However, these five steps can be taken…
Fifteen years to Social Security retirement fund insolvency
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) is a non-partisan watchdog agency in Washington DC that frequently comments on issues related to the federal debt, runaway deficit spending, and reform of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. In…
Do these 15 things with an on-line Social Security account
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been shifting its resources online for current and future beneficiaries for years now. This is the list of 15 things you can do online with an account, and to read the full piece by…
Social Security as a sole retirement lifeline? “Fuhgeddaboudit!”
It may seem hard to believe, but even in 2019 too many Americans are not saving enough for retirement. Consider that an unfathomable 45% of Boomers have zero set aside, and perhaps worse is the belief that Social Security will…