Alhambra's Bob Williams highlights pitfalls to watch out for when signing up for Social Security.
As expected, the Social Security Administration has announced that the 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will be the largest COLA in 42 years, brought on by rampant inflation not seen in more than four decades.   Social Security benefits increase automatically if the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) which measures price...
Here we are again in the final quarter of the year when thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and Christmas and… reviewing your financial house. Oh, that’s not on your list? Well, let’s put it there because financial issues cannot be on automatic pilot. Things change and you need to keep...
If you’ve been gifting money each year to people you love, or using gifting as a planning tool, it’s about to get even better. In 2023, the amount you can give away takes a healthy jump and as long as your generosity doesn’t exceed the limit, you should stay...
Not long ago, my brother-in-law told his doctor that one of his medicines didn’t seem to be working as well as it had in the past. The doctor prescribed something new. The old medication cost about $20. The new prescription was $232. My brother-in-law had to pay the entire...
In a world where the price of everything is going up, Medicare recipients get a price cut beginning January 1, 2023. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just announced that the monthly premium for Medicare Part B, which covers doctor visits, diagnostic tests, and other outpatient services,...
Like everything else in the United States, soaring inflation is pushing the cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 to astronomical heights.   The Wall Street Journal commissioned the Brookings Institute to find out just how expensive it is to raise a child now. Brookings looked at average...
You’re thinking about retirement. In fact, you’ve been thinking about it and planning for it a long time. One of the questions you have to answer is how much will it cost, not just to live, but to live the retirement lifestyle you’ve dreamed about. If you’re looking for the...
If you claim Social Security benefits early, don't expect to get a raise when you reach full retirement age. Alhambra's Bob Williams dispels the myth.
President Joe Biden’s decision to forgive up to $10,000 on millions of student loans has been praised by some and criticized by others—not a surprise to anyone who pays attention to politics. But there is a possible surprise no one thought about or expected during all the political wrangling.   Usually,...