Title: White House Throws Weight Behind Cutting Feds’ Retirement, Health Benefits
Article Snip: "...Chaffetz said he would protect employees already vested in their pensions, saying he did not want to “unduly scare” an employee already on the job for seven years and it would be “difficult” to go after existing workers’ retirements. Chaffetz also said his committee is considering ways to shrink the size of the federal workforce..."
Reference: www.govexec.comTitle: Know when to expect your 1099R
Article Snip: "...You need a Form W-2 to file with your return. Not so with Forms 1099. In contrast to Forms W-2, you don’t file Forms 1099 with your return. Forms 1099 remind you that you earned interest, received a consulting fee, or were paid some other kind of income. There are many varieties, including 1099-INT for interest, 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-G for tax refunds, 1099-R for pensions and 1099-MISC for miscellaneous income. These forms are sent by payors to you and the IRS..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: Social Security Recipients Will Get Less than a $4 Increase next Year
Article Snip: "...The average monthly Social Security payment is $1,238. That translates into a monthly increase of less than $4 a month. More bad news for seniors: Medicare Part B premiums, which are usually deducted from Social Security payments, are expected to increase next year to the point in which they will probably wipe out the entire COLA..."
Reference: fortune.comTitle: Best day to retire, when’s your magic moment?
Article Snip: "...Benefits expert Tammy Flanagan says that although many tend to concentrate on the December-January magic dates, there are other best dates too. She is with the National Institute of Transition Planning , and a regular columnist for Government Executive. She points out that there are different “best dates” depending on which retirement system you are under. ..."
Reference: federalnewsradio.comTitle: Another Excuse To Take Away Your Social Security
Article Snip: "...Bad enough that various left-wingers want to make Social Security “means-tested,” meaning that frugal workers who have saved for retirement get their government pensions clipped. Now we’ve got the Wall Street Journal offering up a case for short-changing retirees. At issue: The 8% boost you get..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: How to apply for Social Security Retirement Benefits
Article Snip: "...What is the easiest way to apply for my Social Security retirement benefits, and how far in advance do I need to apply before I start collecting? ..."
Reference: www.thespectrum.comTitle: Social Security rolls back two-factor mandate
Article Snip: "...Merkley cited Pew data that indicated that just 35 percent of Americans over the age of 65 use text messaging. "With the majority of individuals at or above Social Security retirement benefit age not equipped to text, developing alternative multi-factor authentication methods is crucial to ensuring that all recipients have equal access to their My Social Security accounts," Merkley wrote. SSA has not come up with a new two-factor verification method..."
Reference: fcw.comTitle: FERS Application for Immediate Retirement
Article Snip: "...This application is for you if you are a Federal employee covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and you wish to apply for retirement with an immediate annuity. You should use this application if you want to apply for an annuity which will begin within 30 days of your separation from Federal service ..."
Reference: OPMTitle: Why You Should Try to Tape Conversations With Social Security
Article Snip: "...First, Social Security may be the most complex government policy yet designed by man. It has 12 different benefits, but is chock full of hidden secrets and gotchas that make collecting what you’re owed a user’s nightmare. Second, most people don’t do their homework before approaching Social Security’s 40,000 poorly trained and totally overwhelmed staff, over the phone or in the local office. Third, in my opinion, Social Security staff bats only 50%. Half of their answers are misleading, incomplete or dead wrong..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: Benefits of owning a Medicare supplement insurance policy
Article Snip: "...Medicare pays a portion of your health care costs for hospitalization, skilled nursing facility care and physician’s services and supplies. However, it does not pay all of your expenses and requires you to pay deductibles and coinsurance for many services. A Medicare supplement insurance policy can help pay some of the charges Medicare doesn’t cover..."
Reference: www.myeasternshoremd.com |
| FERS Retirement Application |
Title: Another Glitch in Processing Federal Retirement Applications?
Article Snip: "...As a consequence, you may experience an increase in contact from the Retirement Services for documents that we may need to complete a retirement case. EHRI has informed us that they are in the process of contracting for the resumption of this scanning service, and we will notify you when it restarts.”..."
Reference: blogs.fedsmith.comTitle: Obama Claims Power to Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Social Security, Disability
Article Snip: "...millions of individuals who are violating federal law that he will not enforce that law against them now, that they may continue to violate that law in the future and that he will take action that makes them eligible for federal benefit programs for which they are not currently eligible due to their unlawful status..."
Reference: cnsnews.comTitle: Donald Trump on Social Security
Article Snip: "...Cannot change Medicare or Soc.Sec. and still win elections, Social Security isn't an "entitlement"; it's honoring a deal, Pay off debt; put $3T interest savings into Trust Fund, Let people invest their own retirement funds, ..."
Reference: www.ontheissues.orgTitle: Bernie Sanders on Social Security
Article Snip: "...Criminal to not have COLA increases for seniors, Defend against chained CPI, and expand Social Security, No cuts; no privatization; even to deal with deficit , Raise the Social Security cap on taxable income. Despite GOP rhetoric, Social Security is NOT going bankrupt ..."
Reference: www.ontheissues.orgTitle: Hillary Clinton on Social Security
Article Snip: "...During her 2008 presidential bid, Clinton was relatively non-committal about reforms to the Social Security program. She said in 2007 that certain reforms such as cutting benefits, privatizing the program or raising the retirement age were "off the table." There were some articles at the time that gave mixed signals on whether she would be willing to increase payroll taxes..."
Reference: www.ontheissues.orgTitle: Ted Cruz on Social Security
Article Snip: "...Q: How would you protect Social Security for today's seniors and strengthen it for future generations?
A: On Social Security, I am campaigning on a series of very specific reforms. For seniors receiving Social Security or near Social Security, there should be no changes in benefits whatsoever. For younger workers, we need to do three fundamental reforms.
Source: Texas Tribune Interview in 2012 AARP Senate Voter Guide , Aug 24, 2012 ..."
Title: Figuring Out Your FERS Annuity
Article Snip: "...Under FERS, you can retire on an immediate, unreduced annuity if you meet one of the following age and service requirements..."
Reference: www.fedweek.comTitle: Retirement Calculator: Federal Ballpark E$timate® from OPM site
Article Snip: "... Federal Ballpark E$timate® was developed by the Employee Benefit Research Institute® and its American Savings Education Council® (ASEC®) program ..."
Reference: the-best-calculator.blogspot.comTitle: 10 Things that Will Improve Your USAJOBS Resume
Article Snip: "...what the DIY person can do to their resume to make it better. Here are 10 easy-to-implement suggestions: Create a Skills Summary or Professional Profile. This is great way ..."
Reference: www.fedweek.comTitle: Social Security in the crosshairs: replacement rates again
Article Snip: "...The stage is being set for cuts in Social Security, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has become a major player in this effort..."
Reference: |
| The Index Card |
) about it. Which if the whole point is that this stuff is so simple you can fit it on an index card might seem counterintuitive ..."Title: Paying Income Tax on Social Security Benefits
Article Snip: "...Whether or not you'll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefits will depend on your income and filing status. About 35 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits ..."
Reference: www.huffingtonpost.comTitle: Social Security options for single seniors
Article Snip: "...Widows, widowers and divorcees approaching retirement and about to file for Social Security, though, need to recognize filing options that can significantly increase monthly benefits. While rules are different for surviving spouses and divorcees..."
Reference: www.usatoday.comTitle: Maybe we need more Social Security, not less
Article Snip: "...The bill enables our government to borrow yet more billions of dollars. At the same time, it eliminates the ability of some to use the many rules of Social Security to squeeze out a few more bucks in benefits..."
Reference: www.mystatesman.comArticle Snip: "...On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced S. 2251, the Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefits Act. The bill would provide a one-time payment in 2016 to Social Security beneficiaries, veterans, and others of $581, or 3.9% of the average Social Security retirement benefit. The legislation would not only help current retirees, but also make an important statement about fairness. Last year the average CEO pay increase was 3.9%, while retirees and people with disabilities will be going without any cost-of-living adjustment in 2016..."
Reference: www.apwu.orgTitle: Don’t Forget to ‘Turn On’ Your Benefits
Article Snip: "...what steps federal employees need to take to receive their benefits after retirement. As with most questions in life, the answer can be complex. Once an employee determines they are eligible for retirement..."
Reference: www.govexec.comTitle: FEHB and FEGLI Benefits on Retirement
Article Snip: "...a larger question that readers keep asking me. “If I leave government on an immediate, postponed, deferred or disability annuity, will I be able to continue my Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage? And while you’re at it, I have the same question about my Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance coverage.”..."
Reference: www.fedweek.comTitle: FAQ on Social Security COLAs: AARP shares what, when, how, why
Article Snip: "...COLAs currently understate the cost of living for the elderly, because they are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which only measures the spending of families who make most of their income from wage earners or clerical workers. It excludes families whose main sources of income are pensions and Social Security..."
Reference: www.usatoday.comTitle: Mike Huckabee Speaks Out on Social Security
Article Snip: "...Huckabee continued: And the government has squandered what they paid in, and there are some that think the answer to that is to just break the promises to Americans. I think that’s the wrong answer, because it isn’t workers’ faults that their money has been squandered..."
Reference: www.breitbart.comTitle: Feds Ask, ‘Where Can We Find Retirement Income Facts?’
Article Snip: "...Where can you find information about federal pensions? ...Where can I find info I need about my Social Security retirement income benefits?...How much should be put into the TSP?..."
Reference: www.fedsmith.comTitle: The Great Retirement Plan Every Federal Employee Should Use
Article Snip: "...the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP for short. The TSP has many features that are similar to what a 401(k) offers, but it also gives federal workers key advantages over most 401(k) plans. Let's look more closely at the Thrift Savings Plan and what makes it such a great option for those who are eligible..."
Reference: www.fool.comTitle: Will You Be Forced To Pay Into Medicare?
Article Snip: "...Congress is considering a bill that would require postal retirees to enroll in Medicare Parts B and D or lose their Federal health insurance. Is this the future for all Federal retirees? Medicare is facing years of higher costs..."
Reference: www.fedsmith.comTitle: Social Security Loopholes
Article Snip: "...Had you simply saved and invested, you would probably be retiring as a multimillionaire. But because you were required to pay into Social Security, now you have to figure out how best to get back some of your money. Being aware of some Social Security loopholes will help you choose between options that differ by as much as a quarter of a million dollars ..."
Reference: www.emarotta.comTitle: Federal Employee Retirement Funds Tank in August
Article Snip: "...The government securities (G) fund was the only option that ended the month in the black, scraping by with 0.18 percent growth for August. That fund – one of TSP’s most stable offerings – was up 1.33 percent for the year to date..."
Reference: www.govexec.comTitle: Special Military Social Security Rate
Article Snip: "...The information that follows applies only to active duty military service earnings from 1940 through 2001. This program adds to your overall income factor..."
Reference: militaryvetnews.blogspot.comTitle: 10 secrets to get more from Social Security
Article Snip: "...There are more than 2,700 rules in Social Security's handbook. It's enough to make you want to give up on ever figuring out the best choices to make for your retirement. But if you do your homework and fully maximize your benefits..."
Reference: www.usatoday.comTitle: Can Bernie Sanders save retirement?
Article Snip: "...The self-described democratic socialist from Vermont – who is running for the Democrats' 2016 presidential nomination, although he is an independent – wants to not just preserve Social Security, but expand it. "We should not be talking about cutting Social Security benefits. We should be talking about expanding benefits to make sure that every American can retire with dignity," Sanders said recently in a statement accompanying a bill to increase Social Security benefits by $65 per month. ..."
Reference: www.usnews.comTitle: Bill Aims to Crack Down on Embezzlement of Federal Retirement Funds
Article Snip: "...federal workers rely on their savings and pensions which they worked hard for to retire with dignity,” said Heitkamp. “Most financial caregivers are loved ones who selflessly step in to manage the finances for retirees who are unable to do so, but we have heard about a few bad actors who are stealing that money from retirees. Such harsh actions deserve harsh punishments. Our bipartisan bill would help deter these activities by imposing criminal penalties on financial caregivers..."
Reference: www.fedsmith.comTitle: The Alliance Releases Annual Congressional Voting Record
Article Snip: "...On Tuesday, the Alliance released its annual report detailing the voting record of every U.S. Representative and Senator on issues important to current and future retirees. ..."
Reference: www.apwu.org