Budgeting

Alhambra's Bob Williams explains Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments and their effect on the Survivor Benefit.

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...

Finances, just like your body, can be sick or healthy. Both are important to your life and you need to pay attention to both. So, how do you take the temperature of your finances? Here are 11 steps to complete your own financial checkup from our friends at The...

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...

You’re planning for retirement. You’ve got visions of what you want it to be—the traveling you’ll do, taking up a hobby you’ve never had time for, volunteering with a charity that’s dear to your heart. You’ve got a comprehensive plan that accounts for retirement income, taxes, and even things...

Financial attitudes are changing with America’s young adults. For decades, parents have taught their kids that part of proper planning included saving for retirement. Saving could be accomplished with investment accounts, individual retirement accounts or any one of a litany of employer-sponsored retirement plans, including the 401(k). But there’s...

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, health insurance has become a four-letter word. There is an unending search to find the best coverage with the most benefits at the best price. It’s hard to wade through the swamp of legitimate plans and protect yourself from the quickly morphing supply...

By Danielle Howard, CFP in MarketWatch Danielle takes her plumbing metaphor a bit too far but provides sound advice on intentional money management in retirement. By which she means you need to pay attention to the little stuff, stop the small leaks before you find yourself with a depleted retirement...

“What the heck is it?” It’s not uncommon for something we used to know by one name now described by another word. When I was a kid, it was a swamp; today it’s wetlands. We used to re-use things; now they’re re-purposed. Improving something now means it’s re-imagined. The...

You load 16, tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don’t you call me, ‘cause I can’t go. I owe my soul to the company store. Lyrics “Sixteen Tons” –Merle Travis, 1946   Welcome to the United States, where debt is king. Debt was an issue in...