The social safety net that protects seniors already is frayed, but expect politicians to try poking some new holes in the mesh during the 2012 campaign season. This year, lawmakers and presidential candidates have batted around proposals to privatize Social Security, raise its retirement age or reduce cost-of-living adjustments. Medicare privatization has been pushed in [...] [...more]
The Republican Party has staged a mind-numbing 18 presidential debates this year, and more questions and answers lie ahead as the primaries and general election get into high gear in the new year. The future of Social Security and Medicare will be central issues in the 2012 election. The ongoing debate about income inequality also [...] [...more]
The White House unveiled a countdown clock this week, tick-tocking away the days, hours, minutes and seconds to a December 31 deadline for extending and expanding the payroll tax cut. It’s a doomsday-style reminder that taxes will jump for an estimated 160 million Americans on January 1 if Congress doesn’t act. President Obama is proposing [...] [...more]
Women face distinct retirement-planning challenges, including higher longevity risk, less access to workplace retirement plans, and continued wage discrepancies. My column at Morningstar.com this month examines the trend, and summarizes expert advice on ways women can improve their odds of achieving a secure retirement. [...more]
Older Americans might be thinking they dodged a bullet when the deficit cutting supercommittee process ground to a halt this week without an agreement. Many were watching the negotiations warily, worried that Social Security or Medicare benefits might be cut as part of a grand bargain on the deficit. But even though the supercommittee has [...] [...more]
