Retirement Watch Weekly
The Struggles Of Social Security And Medicare
The latest annual report from the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare is out, and it generated a lot of negative headlines. The big news from the report is that this year the income of the program will exceed the benefits it pays out, so it will have to dip into its reserves or trust […]
Many Changes in the Global Markets
There were a lot of changes in the global markets in May, and many of them caught investors by surprise. U.S. stocks made another sharp turn. To review the year, they had an extremely strong January. Then, they were weak the next few months as investors adjusted to higher interest rates, trade conflicts and other […]
How Much Should You Be Saving for Retirement?
Young people should be saving a lot more than their parents and grandparents. There are a lot of reasons for this, including lower expected investment returns. This article argues that the pattern of contributions make over their lifetimes mean they should be contributing at least 20% of their earnings most of their careers. So during […]
Should You Be Debt-Free in Retirement?
Should you try to be debt-free in retirement? For a long time it was taken for granted that people wanted to be debt-free in retirement. People even held mortgage-burning parties and paid cash for everything purchased in retirement. Now, more people see no reason to avoid debt simply because they’re retired. There are financial advisors […]
Protecting Your Social Security Benefits from ID Thieves
Identity theft continues to grow, and your Social Security benefits are a favorite target of the identity thieves. After the thieves obtain your Social Security number and other personal information, they apply for benefits in your name, if you aren’t already receiving benefits, and have the money deposited in their own accounts. If you’re already […]
When To Take Social Security Benefits
This article discusses the basics of how to decide when to begin Social Security retirement benefits. It explains the break-even point, which is 77 to 78 for most people. It also explains different ways to include inflation adjustments in your calculations as well as potential investment returns. It also explains some key mistakes people make […]
Investing In Brazil – Emerging Market Country Update
Latin American stocks are down sharply in the last month or so, and problems in Brazil have been the leading cause. A range of political and economic problems exploded in a short time. This article takes a deep look the situation in Brazil and concludes that it is leaderless. It appears that the military might […]
The Age Of Full-Time Grandparents
This article points out that since 1970 the percentage of child living full-time with grandparents has doubled. More and more grandparents are spending their retirement years raising their grandkids full time. Sometimes the situation is temporary, because the parents are deployed in the military, an illness, or other causes. Often, the situation is indefinite, because […]
