Here’s what Social Security changes to look for in 2015. In October, the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security was raised 1.7 percent, adding roughly $22 more each month for the average Social Security beneficiary. With that increase the average monthly retirement benefit for all recipients rose to $1,328. Workers taking retirement benefits…
A very good friend of mine unexpectedly lost her husband two weeks ago. She thought he was going in for minor surgery and he never returned. If you’re like most people, you flinch when you hear that tragedy hit a family around the holidays because while the pain is still there regardless of the day,…
I’m sure you’ve noticed but in case you haven’t, December is a month filled with holiday traditions including the giving of gifts. Hard cash is the preferred gift for those between the ages of 10 and a million years of age but a part of me flinches to think that a week after Christmas, the…
When my grandma was younger than I am right now she shocked me by pulling her teeth out of her mouth. It was the first time I was aware of dentures. Some dentist had convinced her that her teeth were so bad that he needed to pull them. She spent more than half her life,…
Between the age of 3 to 5 years, children begin to develop the motor skills that allow them to stand on one foot and balance for 5 seconds or longer. By the time we are in grade school the ability to stand around like a stork for long periods of time is taken largely for…
Now, for a shopping story. I don’t know whether this should be considered good news or not but a Duke University study found that older shoppers use additional brain resources for remembering competing pieces of information and as a result they make better decisions than younger counterparts when making purchasing decisions. The study found that…
Just put me on an ice floe and let me float away. That’s what I’ve heard people say when they talk about a time when they become infirm. Of course finding an ice floe might soon become so difficult as to make the statement nearly incomprehensible but for now the implication is clear. Most healthy,…
Here’s a short list of things you need for retirement. Your own home. Renters are far more likely to be burdened by basic expenses than home owners. Housing is generally the single highest household cost and thus directly affects the financial security and the ability to accrue wealth for all families. Renters face the threat…
Are you contemplating retiring abroad? If you are, you will want to consider how such a move might impact your long-term care benefits. According to a recent New York Times article, the number of Americans receiving Social Security abroad has risen 8 percent in the last three years. Some long-term care policies offer less coverage…
It’s easy to think our days are jam packed with activities and there’s simply not enough time for just one more item. However, some items shouldn’t be on the arbitrary schedule of things to do when you have time. One of those things is exercise. People who don’t exercise on a regular schedule see exercise…
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