Delaying retirement has become common for many Americans, either because they saved too little or they just want to continue working because they enjoy it. Others go in the opposite direction. They retire early – sometimes out of choice but often because their health or the economy forces it. While early retirement might sound appealing,… Continue reading Want Or Need To Retire Early? Tips On How To Pay For It
Tag: Social Security
Aging & Financial Fragility: How Seniors Can Use Their Experience to Survive & Thrive Through Giving
“Good judgement comes from experience…unfortunately experience comes through bad judgement.” These words of wisdom came from my father, a depression era baby who was very pragmatic. He constantly tried to guide me to protect myself in what he called a “dog-eat-dog” jungle out there. Certainly, seniors need to be very aware and cautious of “get… Continue reading Aging & Financial Fragility: How Seniors Can Use Their Experience to Survive & Thrive Through Giving
Tax Time During Coronavirus: What Retirees Need to Know
Retirement and the effects of aging come with a lot of changes, but at least one thing remains constant. Every year, Uncle Sam wants to make sure you’re paying any taxes you might owe him, and that’s true whether you are retired or not. That said, though, there are tax rules that are specific to… Continue reading Tax Time During Coronavirus: What Retirees Need to Know
Ready to Retire? 5 Steps for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep After the Paychecks Stop
Those early days of retirement can be exciting as you are finally rewarded with a little rest and relaxation after all those years of toil. But it can be a bit unsettling as well when the regular paychecks you counted on stop appearing in your bank account. That’s why anyone who’s still a few years… Continue reading Ready to Retire? 5 Steps for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep After the Paychecks Stop
Emergency Readiness for People with Alzheimer’s
People with Alzheimer’s disease can be especially vulnerable during disasters like severe weather, fires, floods, earthquakes, and other emergency situations. It is important for caregivers to have a disaster plan that includes the special needs of people with Alzheimer’s, whose impairments in memory and reasoning severely limit their ability to act appropriately in crises. The… Continue reading Emergency Readiness for People with Alzheimer’s
New report Examines Social Security’s Process for Determining Disability in Adults
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines to what extent and in which ways health care utilization — such as in-patient hospitalizations, emergency department use, and hospital readmission — reflects a patient’s disease severity, disability, and ability to perform gainful activity. The committee that conducted the study could not… Continue reading New report Examines Social Security’s Process for Determining Disability in Adults
3 Tips to Make The Finances Add Up for the Spouse Left Behind
Traditional wedding vows usually include the phrase “till death do us part,” but it’s not a part of the ritual most couples want to dwell on. Financial professionals, though, say ignoring the eventuality of death is unwise when it comes to a couple’s decisions about retirement and money. “The decisions you make today can affect… Continue reading 3 Tips to Make The Finances Add Up for the Spouse Left Behind
3 Tips for Women Worried About Outliving Their Retirement Savings
Few things make retirees more nervous than the possibility their savings could run dry. And the situation can be even more troublesome for women, who are at greater risk of outliving their money because, on average, they live longer than men. In fact, women over the age of 65 are 80 percent more likely than… Continue reading 3 Tips for Women Worried About Outliving Their Retirement Savings
4 Ways Marriage, Divorce And Do-Overs Can Increase Your Social Security Check
In a world of IRAs, bonds, annuities and investment property, one retirement benefit often gets overlooked, or not discussed at all, by some financial advisers: Social Security. In retirement, you need to create as much fixed, guaranteed income as you can. Social Security is just as valuable as any of your other assets. Americans can… Continue reading 4 Ways Marriage, Divorce And Do-Overs Can Increase Your Social Security Check
Wise Social Security Decisions Are Critical To Retirement Happiness
Retirees whose survival depends largely on Social Security checks from the government will see a mere 0.3 percent bump in their benefits in 2017, which amounts to just $3.92 a month for the typical recipient. That’s one of the lowest cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) ever, though still an improvement from last year when there was none.… Continue reading Wise Social Security Decisions Are Critical To Retirement Happiness
7 Important Steps to Take in the Year Before You Retire
You wouldn’t dream of running a marathon without undergoing months of training. Or heading into the wilderness without making sure you have adequate provisions. Or betting your life savings on a business venture you haven’t thoroughly researched. But when it comes to entering retirement—when a failure to plan can have devastating consequences—a surprising number of… Continue reading 7 Important Steps to Take in the Year Before You Retire
How to Boost Social Security Benefits for Surviving Spouses
When the surviving spouse is older than age 70, the Social Security claiming regimen is simple. But it’s trickier if the surviving spouse is younger. The recent crackdown on Social Security claiming strategies used by married couples left widows and widowers unscathed. Surviving spouses can still mix and match benefits to boost lifetime income by… Continue reading How to Boost Social Security Benefits for Surviving Spouses
The Absolutely, Positively Best Time To File For Social Security – All Depends
You can begin drawing Social Security as early as age 62, finally getting back those dollars you’ve been paying into the system, possibly since you were a teenager handling cashier duties for a fast-food restaurant. After roughly four decades of non-stop work, it certainly can be enticing. But taking Social Security a few years shy… Continue reading The Absolutely, Positively Best Time To File For Social Security – All Depends
Five Ways to Start Preparing for Retirement
The “Greatest Generation” experienced the burgeoning of government and corporate pension and health-care plans post-World War II, but baby boomers and later generations are facing the severe compromise of those benefits. While thousands of boomers reach retirement age every day, they will continue to take on more responsibility for providing income for their essential living… Continue reading Five Ways to Start Preparing for Retirement
Social Security Loophole That Lets Couples Maximize Benefits Closes in April
The deadline for married couples and some divorcees to have their Social Security cake and eat it too is April 30, 2016. After that, couples won’t be able to maximize their benefits using the “file and suspend” strategy, as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 will eliminate this valuable loophole. “Learn about and weigh your… Continue reading Social Security Loophole That Lets Couples Maximize Benefits Closes in April
3 Ways Retirees May Benefit Financially From Embracing Technology
While millennials can remember all the way back to their MySpace days, baby boomers may remember their family’s first color TV and “The Greatest Generation,” those American-s who fought World War II, may remember a time before their home had a telephone. But don’t let the disparity of technological upbringing fool you. Today’s technology is… Continue reading 3 Ways Retirees May Benefit Financially From Embracing Technology
The Social Security Dilemma: Draw Now Or Draw Later?
The temptation is great. Maybe too great for some. The federal government allows retirees to start drawing Social Security as early as age 62, a feature that more than 40 percent of Americans take advantage of as they gladly draw from the system they spent a lifetime paying into. But many of those people may… Continue reading The Social Security Dilemma: Draw Now Or Draw Later?
Divorce And How It Can Affect Your Retirement Money
It’s the unthinkable that no aging person wants to face: divorce. The impact is huge on every aspect of your life, especially financially and the role it can play in planning for retirement. Certified Financial Planners Gary Plessl and Kevin Houser, authors of The Book on Retirement: Are You Ready for The Second Half of… Continue reading Divorce And How It Can Affect Your Retirement Money