My Comments: As someone who depends on payments from the Social Security Administration to maintain my standard of living, the idea that people in Congress are considering reducing those payments is concerning. We have to hope that elected representatives find a reasonable solution that will allow the program to remain viable. It’s become an integral …
Continue reading Social Security and the U.S. deficit: Separating fact from fiction
My Comments: Though written two years ago, the message here is increasingly relevant. Social Security is under attack by the Republican leadership in the Senate. Reasonable solutions to keep it viable and properly funded are readily available provided there is a political will to make that happen. My experience over the past 40 years in …
My Comments: If you are not yet retired, which means different things to different people, chances are you’ll be eligible for Social Security benefits. Before your magic day of retirement arrives, you need to have a solid understanding of how the Social Security System works and what you can expect to receive. And also know …
Continue reading 7 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Social Security
My Comments: "Who me? Nah, I’m good. I’m not going to become goofy or worry about someone helping me take my meds every morning. Or help me prepare my meals. Or help me in the shower…" (BTW, this image is of my mother who suffered from Alzheimers for 10 years after my father died.) by …
Continue reading If you’re in your 50s, you need to plan for long-term care right now
My Comments: If you’re still a working stiff, the idea of eventual retirement crosses your mind from time to time. In years past, we thought of live as having two phases: childhood and adulthood. In childhood we are dependent on others and in adulthood we are dependent on ourselves. Adults worked until they died or …
My Comments: Some of us are organized and some of us are not and the rest of us are 'sorta/kinda' organized. I’m in the 'sorta/kinda' organized group. I am, however, heavily invested these days in teaching others a process to follow when thinking about their future retirement. I’ve created an internet school called Successful Retirement …
Continue reading Planning for Retirement: a Checklist Approach
My Comments: To all this, I will add another reason to take your benefits early. Reason #4: You are single and might not live very long. This applies to people who are single, likely to remain that way, and have a serious health issue. If there is reason to think you might not live into …
Continue reading 3 Reasons 62-Year-Olds Should Take Social Security Now
My Comments: At the national level, if we want more money to spend, both on ourselves as citizens and at the Federal level on things that require money to finance, please tell me why this administration insists on doing things that will result in less money. Yes, I know, the old and wealthy white cadre …
Continue reading Higher Tariffs Won’t Work Now Because They Never Did
My Comments: Few of you reading this are confused about my politics. So I share these words with you as someone trained in economics and finance who has been an entrepreneur in financial services for over 42 years. Our society gives us, via the Constitution, the ability to express which values are important to us …
My Comments: It became accepted wisdom that a properly diversified stock portfolio can indefinitely absorb an annual 4% withdrawal rate to satisfy a need for retirement income. That assumption is now disappearing. There is growing sentiment that over the next decade, if not longer, a 4% withdrawal rate will lead to the exhaustion of your …
Continue reading ‘Rolling Bear Market’ Will Paralyze Stocks for Years: Morgan Stanley
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