Retirement

Isn’t it what we all plan for? At some point in your life, you’ll stop working and enter “The Retirement Zone.” It will require income that may come from Social Security, retirement accounts, annuities, investments, or any number of sources. Yes, being a successful retiree requires planning. But you have to know what’s good planning and what are just myths. [...]

It’s just human nature. When we buy something, we want to pay the lowest price and get the best deal. That same principle applies to America’s seniors when they turn 65 and have to choose a Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan. The problem, though, is that choosing the lowest premium Part D plan may actually be more expensive in [...]

It’s called a “My Social Security” account. It’s often thought of as something for people getting Social Security benefits. In reality, there are positives for anyone who’s working and paying Social Security taxes.   Protect Your Social Security from Identity Thieves Once you set up a “My Social Security” account, you’re protected. There can never be more than one account [...]

I can, I will, I can’t, I won’t. Those are all responses we’ve heard in the past two years about deciding to retire. The response you give or the response you get is directly related to the U.S. economy.   Before COVID, American workers age 55 and above were retiring at a rate of approximately one million per year. But [...]

Social Security is usually thought of in terms of an individual’s retirement benefit. But it’s equally important to understand the benefits of Social Security for married couples. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer spouse with limited work history because you stayed home to raise the kids, or a married couple who discovered during COVID that a happy family doesn’t require two [...]

So, you’re almost eligible for Medicare. For many who have struggled with health insurance since Congress passed Obamacare in 2010, going on Medicare is a step up from the expensive, high deductible, limited option plans available to them. But Medicare can be problematic too if you don’t know what to look for. Here are 9 of the most common Medicare [...]

Worried about saving enough for retirement? You can put away more next year. The IRS has just announced the new retirement plan contribution limits for 2023. The contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan increases to $22,500, up from $20,500. For individuals 50 and older, the catch-up contribution [...]

As expected, the Social Security Administration has announced that the 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will be the largest COLA in 42 years, brought on by rampant inflation not seen in more than four decades. Social Security benefits increase automatically if the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) which measures price inflation for urban workers is more in the third quarter [...]