The United States Armed forces will unveil its new retirement planning system January 1, 2018. The new Blended Retirement System, or BRS for short, has so far drawn mixed reviews from those that understand it and puzzled looks by the many that do not. The changes to the system are discussed below and will hopefully…

We are in the final days of 2017 and for some that means closer than ever to retirement! After working 40-plus years, if not even longer, upcoming retirees should look forward to spending the latter years of their lives doing what they love in retirement. In some situations, being able to earn income following retirement…

Each fall, the Internal Revenue Service announces adjustments to individual taxes, deductions and credits. The IRS issued these inflation adjustments for 2018 on October 19, 2017. Inflationary pressure remained modest during 2017. As a result, the adjustment amounts are not large. Personal Exemption and Standard Deduction The new personal exemption and standard deduction amounts apply…

Falling is a threat millions of aging Americans face, especially those 65 and up. At least one in four elderly people will suffer a fall each year. The CDC analyzed data from a 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey and found that suffering one fall doubles an elderly person’s chance of having a repeat…

Medicare Open Enrollment is your chance to reevaluate your coverage and change plans. It is also called the annual coordinated election period or the annual election period and you can change your coverage whether it is an Advantage plan, an original plan or a prescription drug plan through Part D. During Open Enrollment, you can…

Your 50th birthday is a big milestone in your life, and once you’re past it, you should think about ramping up your retirement planning. Hopefully you’ve been hitting your goals every year. But no matter what your financial situation is like, you can make sure you’re on the right track with a few simple planning…

After circling and re-circling the healthcare wagon, President Trump’s administration now shifts its attention to tax reform. A level of skepticism seems to shroud every major piece of legislation that “Number 45” has put forward so far, but there seems to be some optimism around his plan for tax reform. Many news outlets have accused…

Retiring can be an exciting time, but it can also be scary because you are no longer earning an income. When you’re retired, you rely on your investments on which to live, which can be worrisome if your expenses are high. If you are concerned that you might go through your money too fast during…

If you decide to retire in a foreign country outside the US or if you would like to spend most of your time traveling overseas, you will not take your Medicare plan with you. So if you are a retiree and your wish is to live outside the US, partly due to health problems but…

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month! Unfortunately, life insurance myths can be some of the most persistent misleading misinformation affecting people planning retirement. These findings can commonly lack adequate research to back up the popular perceptions. Consequentially, a few have fallen into avoidable financial traps. Insurance has the potential to be the strongest plan with…