My comments: Social Security is under threat. It’s running out of money. Sort of. Back in 1983, under President Reagan, Congress made some changes as, like now, the future of the program looked cloudy. They increased the age at which you qualified for full benefits, they increased the percentage of earned income you paid into …
Tag: social security benefits
5 Ways to Protect Your Money in Retirement
My Comments: OK, #5 may be a bit of a stretch for me. I’ve had a black thumb all my life; anything I plant dies immediately. There are now millions of us in retirement, or what for some of us is semi-retirement. And whether you believe it or not, the rules underlying economics and finance …
Your Local Social Security Office: Who Can Help
My Comments: There are a lot of good people working for the Social Security Administration. It’s just that some of them are not equipped to answer your questions. This leads to frustration and sometimes making the wrong choices. Here’s an article that might be helpful if you have questions of them and need the right …
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What You Should Know About Medicare Enrollment
My Comments: Medicare, along with a Medicare supplemental policy, is, for many millions of Americans, a critical element in their lives. I know it is in mine and that of my wife. As longevity raises its sometimes ugly head, the ability to seek professional health care when the need arises, without having to worry about …
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Why China Doesn’t Need The U.S. For Trade
My Comments: China First! Are you OK with China leading the world through the 21st Century? While I have issues with the politics of Steve Forbes, I have no issues with the credibility of Forbes Magazine, who published this article by Winter Nie. Now that Trump has ceded global economic leadership to China, it’s important …
Putting Clients Second
My Comments: Readers of my posts have seen me comment before on the proposed Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule that is scheduled to be implemented this coming April. It’s directed toward anyone providing investment advice related to retirement accounts (with one major exception!). The rule says that anyone providing such advice must adhere to a …
6 Steps to Retire When You Want
My Comments: For some, retirement will be bliss. For others, not so much. WHEN you retire, and HOW you retire, will have a lot to do with WHAT will happen. Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Feb 2017 For some, the idea of retiring early is a dream nurtured over decades. For others, …
How to Have a Comfortable Retirement on Social Security Alone
My Comments: Some of the folks who attend my workshops on SS benefits planning reveal that they have virtually no other resources to fund their retirement. That’s a challenge, especially for those whose lives were spent in physical labor of some kind and simply can’t continue working that way. There is real pain in their …
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Investment Strategies for Your Retirement Accounts
My Comments: A phrase I’m known to use from time to time is that ‘life in this country is better with more money than it is with less money.” While this might seem too obvious for you, there are many people whose efforts to have more money have fallen flat. Here’s a few ideas that …
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America’s Rise of Nationalism Has It Barreling Towards a Crisis
My Comments: The past 70 years have seen a remarkable transformation from what was essentially a sophisticated tribal approach to security for a given group of people, to one that begins to recognize we are one planet and all of us, to some degree, are intricately connected as we attempt to survive and thrive as …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 