The last-minute deal to allow retiree pension benefit cuts as part of the federal spending bill for 2015 passed by Congress last week has set off shock waves in the U.S. retirement system. Here are answers to some of the key questions workers and retirees should be asking in the legislation’s wake. Read the full […]
The post-war baby boom generation makes up over a quarter of the American population. So what boomers think about, aspire to do and want to buy all make a big difference in the American economy and the social trends that shape our lives. Here are ten issues that baby boomers are focused on as we […]
The Great Recession hit all Americans hard, but only whites have seen their wealth rise during the recent recovery. And that’s widening the already massive wealth gap between whites and other racial and ethnic groups to near record levels. Read the full article at CNN Money.
A measure included in Congress’s mammoth spending bill permits benefit cuts for retirees in one kind of pension plan, a big shift that lawmakers and others believe could set a precedent for other troubled retirement programs.The legislation is aimed at defusing a potentially explosive problem—the deteriorating condition of what are known as multiemployer plans, jointly […]
Pension advance agreements — also known as annuity utilization contracts — have been the subject of many articles and of litigation in several states. In 2005 a class-action lawsuit was filed by the National Consumer Law Center against Structured Investments Company L.L.C. (Retired Military Financial Services was doing business under that name at the time.A judgment was handed up in […]
National Public Radio’s David Greene and Robert Smith have been hosting a series of money talks around the country this year concerning personal finances.Greene, host of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and Smith, a correspondent for “Planet Money,” start off by asking audience members and panelists who join them, myself included, “What keeps you up at night?” […]
Since September 2013, debt collection has been the top complaint at the CFPB. Among all debt types, medical debt tops the list. When a debt is past due, a collector may report the account to a credit agency. This would appear as an account in collection, often resulting in a credit score drop. Read the […]
Nearly one in five consumers with loans said they think they will never be able to finish paying off their debt, according to survey released Wednesday by CreditCards.com. That is double the nine percent who said they felt that way last year. Read the full article at The Washington Post.
When a worker keeps working for the eight more years between 62 and 70—an increase in total working years of 20 percent for someone who started to work at 22—Social Security payouts are increased every year by a full 76 percent. That’s right: 76 percent more for 20 percent more time. Read the full article […]
When it comes to retirement plans, 401(k)s are confusing and inadequate. They are often loaded with expensive, junk funds and don’t give employees the right choices. On top of that, they guarantee nothing. Employers don’t even have to offer them. Here are three ways to tell if your 401(k) is worthwhile. If your plan doesn’t […]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |