Let’s update some two-thousand-year-old tax advice—Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but don’t give him more than that. Today, tax deductions and credits help determine how much Caesar gets. As an old guy told me a long time ago, “If it’s in the IRS code, it’s there to...
Social Security, even with all its problems, is unquestionably an important component of retirement income for millions of American retirees. For about half of seniors, Social Security is 50% of their income, and 1 in 4 seniors say it makes up at least 90% of their income.
There are more...
It’s the million-dollar question—What is my ideal retirement age? Some people retire earlier than intended because of job loss, personal health or family situations such as the need to care for an elderly parent. Just as circumstances may compel some to retire early, others may find it necessary to...
Hey! It’s just an IRA. What is there to know? You put money in and it’s a tax deduction, you get to take it out after 59 ½ without paying a penalty, and at 72 the IRS makes you take some out. What else could there be?
In reality, there’s...
I recently got a letter from the Social Security Administration saying I might have some money in a 401(k) plan at an employer I worked for 20 years ago. I was intrigued—but not hopeful. I thought I’d rolled over everything, but old advice is still good advice—don’t leave money...
There are not many advantages to getting old—hair thins, wrinkles show up at an accelerated rate and there’s a cornucopia of new aches and pains we’re introduced to. As crazy as it sounds, for many, one benefit to getting older is having access to Medicare.
When Congress passed Obamacare in...
Since its beginning in 1935, Social Security has become synonymous with retirement income. But as with any government program, Social Security is a behemoth with a lengthy list of rules and hidden intricacies that can make a huge difference in the amount you receive.
Collectively, Americans lose trillions of Social...
One of the advantages of the Social Security system is the Survivor Benefit. Of the 65 million people receiving Social Security, approximately 6 million receive the Survivor Benefit because they are the widow, widower, surviving ex-spouse, minor children or permanently disabled adult children of a deceased worker. The amount...
