Retirement

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about when Social Security will recognize recent high income, what happens to benefit checks received in the month a person passes away and how the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) can affect benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president

By Jonathan Littman and Susanna Camp, Next Avenue Entrepreneur Uwe Diegel successfully pitching his startup Courtesy of Uwe Diegel You may be surprised to hear it, but there’s never been a better time to pitch your startup. And for that, you can thank the pandemic. Entrepreneurship is being driven by massive layoffs and the realization

Hundreds of people line up to receive food and goods distributed by volunteers from the Chelsea … [+] Collaborative Inc. outside the Pan Y Cafe in Chelsea, Massachusetts on April 14, 2020. – Cmany families not eligible for state and federal help. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

A party store saleswoman shows us a critical flaw in our retirement planning. getty Suzy rings up another customer in a party supply store. Surrounded by bright, bouncing balloons celebrating everything from anniversaries to birthdays, Suzy scans a bag of blue plastic spoons while speaking to a friend.  Leaning across the checkout counter between bouquets

The simplest and most seemingly innocent things are costing lives. It’s natural for us to want to gather, no matter what warnings the CDC issues about Covid-19. Holidays are so important that many people chose to travel for family gatherings, figuring that they could minimize risks by sanitizing surfaces and wearing masks on planes or

Dutch boy saves the dike, from Hans Brinker. Illustration. BPA2# 2334 Bettmann Archive Yes, the Dutch boy who saved his city by plugging a hole in the dike with his finger, crying out, “Haarlem shall not be drowned while I am here!” is fictional, but recent reports call him to mind. The $2,000 check plan

NurPhoto via Getty Images The American justice system is going to be very busy in both civil and criminal courts in the coming months and years as a result of the Capitol riot. It stands to reason that many of the individuals who will stand trial or plea bargain for having participated in this event

We’ve made it through the disaster of 2020. It’s a new year, which means it’s time to set our goals … [+] and resolutions for the months ahead. getty We’ve made it through the disaster of 2020. It’s a new year, which means it’s time to set our goals and resolutions for the months ahead.

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor getty Usually around this time of year, I write a post revealing the “best places to retire abroad” based on the new annual rankings from International Living (IL) and Live and Invest Overseas and explain why the winners won. Well, their new lists are out, but I can’t write

Mature woman helping elderly mother with paperwork getty If you have bought into the idea that aging in place in the home you’ve maintained for 30+ years is the best answer to the question of where to live as you age, I can only conclude that you have decided it’s payback time for your children.

getty What will happen to your bitcoin when you’re gone? Do you know who will be able to access your email, social media accounts, online dating profile, digital subscriptions and memberships, rewards points and other digital assets? Do you know the value of your online life, and have you considered addressing your digital assets in

The red fire pumps by the real squad fire truck in Chicago Fire Department at the quarters of Engine … [+] Co. 5, filmed in the legendary series ‘Chicago Fire.’ getty In the Chicago Sun Times on Monday, a headline: “Illinois Senate passes firefighter pension bill over mayor’s strenuous objections.” “With the spotlight focused elsewhere

A series of strategies for tax-wise investors. Table of Contents. Conversion getty You can prepay income tax on some of your IRA, making future withdrawals tax-free. This is very clever if (a) your tax bracket is fairly low at the moment, and (b) you can cover the tax bill with money from outside the account.

A series of strategies for tax-wise investors. Table of Contents. Annuitant getty A Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract is a contract with an insurance company that (a) pays out a fixed monthly amount beginning at an advanced age and (b) is bought inside an IRA. The most you can put into a QLAC is $135,000 or

UNDATED FILE PHOTO: Country singer and songwriter Johnny Paycheck (C) holds a teamsters union sign … [+] while joining a group of striking bookbinders in this photo from 1977. (Photo by Getty Images) Getty Images Do you have enough money to tell your boss, as singer Johnny Paycheck would say, “Take this Job and Shove

I’ve got some good news. You’re not crazy.  That’s the message of one of my favorite books of 2020, “The Psychology of Money,” written by Morgan Housel and inspired by a popular blog post he wrote in 2018. It’s a compelling read and the book offers many great lessons, but I thought this particular encouragement was worthy

Yellow paper with text 2021 tax laws,concept getty Plan Now With the results of the Georgia runoff election in the Democrats Control the House, the Senate and the White House. So, the potential for harsh tax legislation increasing taxation of the wealthy, along the lines of prior Democratic proposals, might be likely to happen. What

ELLICOTT, MD – NOVEMBER, 20:Regina Peterson, 83y, and Linda Umstead, are delighted while speaking to … [+] Howard County students that deliver food to her and other disadvantaged senior citizens at the Tiber Hudson Apartment Building, (Photo by Evy Mages/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) The Washington Post via Getty Images Workers’ retirement accounts

By Chris Farrell, Next Avenue getty During a recent Minnesota Public Radio program I hosted about Social Security, I was surprised at the number of callers with questions and complaints about the program’s survivor benefits for widows and widowers. One caller protested the “unfairness” of the benefits since she felt they ignored her own work

SARASOTA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 04: Charles Miller, 90, prepares the daily pills his wife will need for … [+] the week. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images) Corbis via Getty Images In its massive end-of-year spending bill, Congress slipped in some important changes that may improve Medicare coverage for hundreds of thousands of older