From the category archives:

social security

Read about these three toward the end of this post

The traditional view of retirement — working for the same company your entire career and then retiring to draw a lifetime pension — is a thing of the past. Yes, some government workers continue to retire with paid pension plans, but as states and municipalities continue to fight for survival, these pension plans will also be phased out. To add to the angst, Social Security is scheduled to run out of money within the next 25 years. [click to continue…]

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Most retirees ponder this question: “When should I start taking my Social Security benefits … at age 62? At full retirement age? Somewhere in between?” The conventional response to this question is “Wait as long as you can.” After all, those whose full retirement age is 66 will face a 25% lifetime reduction by starting at 62. They also have the option of an 8% annual boost for every year they delay benefits, up to age 70. In short, the longer you delay, the greater your benefit for the rest of your life. [click to continue…]

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Why America Is Doomed to Debt

November 22, 2010

Fixing the national debt is not about politics or economics; it is about human nature.

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Should Senior Citizens Become Cry Babies Over Social Security Freeze?

October 18, 2010

Have you read the reactions of Seniors on the news that Social Security increases won’t happen next year? Here is a sampling:

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Social Security Strategies For Married Couples

June 23, 2010

Married couples: Social Security is complicated and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Is either of you (or both of you) close to retirement age? Are you wondering if you should start earlier or later? Before you decide, make sure you understand these two aspects of Social Security: “spousal benefit” and “surviving spouse benefit”. Let’s [...]

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Social Security Strategies Part Two: Maximize Your Benefits

November 9, 2009

In Part One of this two part series we discussed the following basics of Social Security: how it works, what is a spousal benefit, how does survivor’s benefit work and some things you should think about when considering whether to start receiving your social security benefit early. In this post, I want to give you [...]

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Social Security Strategies Part One: Understand the Basics

November 4, 2009

Social Security is a little like the Internal Revenue Service. If you try to understand every detail you will get so caught up in the minutia that you could get overwhelmed. On the other hand, if you can simply grasp the Social Security basics you are well on your way to having a grip on [...]

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