Finance

I recently did a couple of media interviews. One was a podcast and the other was a radio show. The hosts of both media outlets asked me essentially the same thing: “What are the most common questions people ask about…

Questions continue to arrive in my email about required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts, and with good reason, considering the amount of change (and confusion) for RMD-related regulations that came from the two SECURE Acts, which were signed into…

There are so many Social Security-bashing screeds floating around on the internet that are I could spend every one of my weekly columns just trying to set the record straight. These things usually get passed around from one gullible and…

Recent announcements by the Social Security Administration (SSA) raise concerns about getting through to the SSA when you need to. The issue is the adoption of more strict procedures to protect your identity. Are they workable? Visit or online: Individuals…

There is so much misinformation about the Social Security program and the conduct of the Social Security Administration that I simply cannot keep up with it. I feel bad because I’d like to write my normal columns in which I…

It’s not unusual for parents to help their adult children, even if it means making a financial sacrifice. A 2024 Financial Independence Survey by Bankrate, a consumer financial services company, reported that 61% of parents or guardians “are currently sacrificing,…

I predicted this was going to happen. The public outcry over the repeal of the Government Pension Offset law has begun. I am hearing from more and more people (mostly women) who want to know why retired teachers, firefighters, police…

Not a week goes by when I don’t get emails from veterans who have been led to believe that they are missing out on some extra Social Security benefits allegedly payable to people who served in the military. As is…

Before I begin today’s column, which questions some of President Donald Trump’s planned staff reductions at the Social Security Administration, let me confess that at the end of the column, I point out that I might be dead wrong! So,…

I often feel guilty if I write a column that essentially repeats information I’ve given in past columns. But readers often remind me that I shouldn’t worry about that. For example, today I got an email that said something like…