Retirement

Most Americans realize that inflation in the U.S. recently spiked to its highest level since the early 1980s. Moreover, what we pay for food is an important part of total inflation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices account for 13.5% of the relative importance of the total index. We see the high

As retirement looms, individuals must transition from an accumulation and asset-centric mindset to one focused on income and reliable cash flow. This shift from savings to decumulation is often discussed mostly in terms of 401(k)s and IRAs, but it really applies across asset classes and account types – including one’s primary residence. For many Americans,

As politicians and partisans debate how to make sure Social Security — an historically amazing and important program for the aging — has a secure financial future, one topic regularly brought up is the idea of delaying the retirement age. It sounds reasonable. Just have everyone wait an extra year or two. How could that

America’s retirement and elder poverty crisis is painful, frightful, and undeniable—yet some experts are denying there is a retirement income security crisis and trying to persuade us there’s nothing to worry about. We wish that were so, but the numbers tell us there is a quite serious retirement crisis. Numbers Show Retirement Crisis Nearly half

The labor market has been booming for years, but the speedy recovery from the depth of the pandemic-induced recession has been uneven. Even as aggressive fiscal policy interventions helped state and local government employment recover much more quickly than after the Great Recession, it still took state and local government employment longer than private sector

As he has often done in the past, Blackrock Chair/CEO Larry Fink offers a provocative new iteration of stakeholder capitalism in his annual letter to investors. This time, it’s about rethinking the retirement age. In a subtle shift away from his multi-year focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) themes, Fink seeks to draw broad-based

A friend, new to Medicare, asked me whether Medicare covered annual physicals. I told him, “No, it doesn’t.” The Social Security act clearly prohibits Medicare from paying for annual physical examinations. A week later, he told me I was wrong. He found proof that Medicare does indeed cover these examinations. “Physical exams, right there, on

I was stuck a few months ago. After the unexpected but welcome blessing of the birth of our healthy newborn (the two older kids are 20 and 18 😊), my wife and I had just come home from the hospital following emergency surgery resulting from latent labor complications. We had a plan worked out for

Any estate planning lawyer who drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives would tell you something frustrating: some clients won’t sign anything the lawyer prepared. This issue is not limited to adult children of aging parents. It affects solo agers and married couples as well. In a recent conversation at AgingParents.com with an

If you keep an eye on the news, you might have read or heard scary headlines that the Social Security Trust Funds are projected to be exhausted in the year 2034, with the conclusion that Social Security will soon be bankrupt. While the first part of this sentence is true, the conclusion in the second

A recent study into expat happiness around the world saw Old World great Spain dominate the rankings. Valencia was crowned the number one city for quality of life for expats while Malaga, Madrid, Alicante, and Barcelona all earned a place in the top ten. In addition, Spain was first runner up when it came to

It is election season. This is a time when the question of whether people are materially better off than they were four years ago comes up. Comparing March 2024 to March 2020, when a once-in-a-century pandemic broke out, the answer is obviously a resounding yes. But, even considering the winter of 2024 relative to the

Yesterday, the conservative House Republican Study Committee released its latest budget plan. To the RSC’s credit – and, honestly, to my own surprise – the RSC took on the dangerous issue of reforming Social Security, standing up not only to Democrats looking to demagogue the issue but to former President Trump’s efforts to duck the

Here are two very important questions I ask clients who are over 65, still employed, and considering Medicare enrollment. One: “Is your prescription drug coverage considered to be creditable?” The response is frequently a blank stare or a shoulder shrug. Two: “Have you gotten any notices from your employer about the status of your prescription

The strong economic recovery since the pandemic started has been good for almost everyone. Nonfinancial corporations are no exception. They have been raking in high profits and using those mainly to pay dividends to their shareholders and building up their stockpiles of cash. Investments in new buildings, computers, car parks and other equipment are at

Remember the fall of 2022? No matter when you turned on the TV, you saw a former NFL player or celebrity pitching Medicare Advantage. Just call the number on your screen to get all the benefits you deserve. It seemed as though those commercials were everywhere. Maybe that’s because they were. According to KFF, there

Do nursing home owners understate the profits they report to federal regulators by shifting income to related businesses? Two academic experts in nursing home finance found that in one state 63 percent of margins are hidden this way. To put it another way, only 37 percent of true nursing home profits are reported to federal

In today’s shifting landscape, finances are front and center in many American households. With spiking inflation over the last few years, a pending election cycle, market volatility, and a massive transition in wealth in the US over the next decade, financial planning can seem as complex as ever. Additionally, the roles that family members play

President Biden issued his budget proposal on March 11, 2024. The document’s full title is “General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Revenue Proposals.” Transformative Tax Changes Will Redistribute Wealth If even some of these proposals are enacted into law it could dramatically change taxation of the wealthiest Americans and substantially reduce the wealth

Medicare is a lifesaver for most retirees who need affordable health coverage after age 65. However, it’s very different from the health insurance plan you may have participated in as an employee benefit. For example, Medicare doesn’t provide coverage for some essential items that are often delivered through employer-sponsored health plans. If you’re nearing age