3 Smart Reasons to Take Social Security at Full Retirement Age

My Comments: Full Retirement Age is that month, according to the Social Security Administration, where you gain some real advantages. I have some reservations about Sean Williams' comments since he’s not yet old enough to understand the emotional side of financial decisions when it comes to retirement income. However, the headline resonates with me as …

Continue reading 3 Smart Reasons to Take Social Security at Full Retirement Age

The Great Unwind Is Upon Us

My Comments: Like everyone, I could use a crystal ball. Since they don’t exist, I have to turn to writers with a far better understanding of what’s going on than I have. To that end, these words from Larry Fuller are helpful. Fortunately, he avoids many of the big words that too many pundits use. …

Continue reading The Great Unwind Is Upon Us

You’ll Never Get ‘There’ When It Comes To Your Finances

My Comments: It really helps to sometimes see life from 50,000 feet. This article does that for me. We get caught up in the crisis of the moment, which happens all the time. And depending on our age, we focus on what we need to do today. My focus is helping people create a worry …

Continue reading You’ll Never Get ‘There’ When It Comes To Your Finances

70% of Americans say our health care system is in a “state of crisis”

My Comments: My experience with our health care system comes from two sources. The first one is my 43 years as a licensed insurance agent. I saw health insurance premiums increase roughly 10% every year. The health insurance premium increases were largely a result of ever increasing costs, driven by the hospital industry, the pharmaceutical …

Continue reading 70% of Americans say our health care system is in a “state of crisis”

3 Things That Affect When You Should Apply for Social Security

My Comments: This was clearly written by someone not yet fully versed in the subject. He’s young with expertise in picking stocks for future gain. Unfortunately, this is typical of what a reader finds when searching for ideas about their retirement and how to make critical financial decisions. There are far more than 3 questions …

Continue reading 3 Things That Affect When You Should Apply for Social Security

Should you really do nothing amid all this market volatility? It depends on your age

My Comments: There are some well known market pundits out there whose advice can be taken seriously. But not always. We know historically stocks outperform most other kinds of traditional investments over time. That if you are accumulating money to use in the future, and that future is a few decades down the road, then …

Continue reading Should you really do nothing amid all this market volatility? It depends on your age

5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Retirement

My Comments: For those of us who preach retirement planning, much of this is old hat. But for those of you just starting to get serious about thinking retirement, these are all valid concerns. But before you rush out and spend money, you need to better understand how you want your life to play out. …

Continue reading 5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Retirement

The Coming Bankruptcy of the American Empire

My Comments: readers of my posts know that I’m a progressive, whatever that actually means. As an economist, I choose to call myself a social capitalist, in that I strongly believe unfettered capitalism is as dangerous and corruptive as communism. This is written before trump appears on national television to tell us why his wall …

Continue reading The Coming Bankruptcy of the American Empire

2 Reasons Social Security Is Expected to Run in the Red 4 Years Earlier Than Previously Forecast

My Comments: Social Security was created in 1935. Apart from one in 1939, since 1950, there have been 30 Amendments across the years. The one I best remember happened in 1983 when the Full Retirement Age changed from 65 up to age 67. Additionally, the income percentage that we paid (FICA), along with the upper …

Continue reading 2 Reasons Social Security Is Expected to Run in the Red 4 Years Earlier Than Previously Forecast

The Shrinking Middle Class: How We Got Here, And Why

My Comments: Yesterday, I posted Part I of a three part series from the staff of Fortune magazine. I was struck by it’s relevance in today’s America in terms of it’s expose of where we are as a nation, both politically and economically. In my opinion we have roughly two years to figure out whether …

Continue reading The Shrinking Middle Class: How We Got Here, And Why