...providing retirement news snippets from various sources for federal employees, postal employees, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who receive Social Security . Your resource for retirement living, investment, employment, health care, and retirement leisure. - Stay Informed!
Title: How Much the Average Upper-Class Retiree Spends Monthly at Age 70
Article Snip: "...Here’s a look at how much this demographic tends to spend in retirement, using data from the BLS, Fidelity, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Corebridge Financial. ..."
Reference: finance.yahoo.comTitle: I Asked ChatGPT If Retirees Can Live on Social Security Alone — Here’s What It Said
Article Snip: "...Social Security was never intended to cover the entire cost of living in retirement, but in some situations, there are those who can make it work. Here’s what ChatGPT had to say about what Social Security covers, if it’s enough, and who is living on this income alone. ..."
Reference: finance.yahoo.comTitle: Social Security COLA 2026: How Much Will Payments Increase Next Year?
Article Snip: "A key gauge for inflation — the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (known as the CPI-W) — rose by 2.5 percent in July, compared with one year ago, according to Aug. 12 data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ...A CPI-W of 2.5 percent for July suggests that Social Security recipients may see a modest bump in their Social Security payments starting in January 2026. “We’re likely to see a relatively historically normal COLA, maybe in the range of..."
Reference: www.aarp.orgTitle: What’s the average Social Security payment for August 2025? Plus: Changes for 2026
Article Snip: "...As of August 2025, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit is $1,953.96, or about $23,450 per year, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). But your actual payout can be higher or lower depending on when you claim and how much you earned.
Here’s a breakdown of average Social Security benefits by age and gender..."
Title: How Much Is Joe Biden’s Monthly Social Security Check?
Article Snip: "... Joe Biden has released his annual tax returns since 1998. His 2024 return is not released yet, but his 2023 joint federal tax return, with his wife Dr. Jill Biden, states that he received $42,842 in Social Security income. That works out to approximately $3,570 per month.
His wife received $21,412 in Social Security for the year of 2023. That works out to about $1,784 per month. The fact that this amount is almost exactly half of Joe Biden’s suggests that she is likely drawing spousal benefits since those are capped at 50%, according to the Social Security Administration. ..."
Title: Four Tax Changes Those Over 65 and Retirees Should Watch in 2025
Article Snip: "...This year brings key tax changes that could affect your retirement taxes and income. ..."
Reference: www.kiplinger.comTitle: Affordable dental insurance for CHAMPVA beneficiaries
Article Snip: "Covered dental care for qualified spouses & children...CHAMPVA doesn’t cover dental care costs unless that care is part of a treatment plan for a covered non-dental medical condition. VADIP helps fill that gap by offering CHAMPVA beneficiaries discounted private dental insurance. ..."
Reference: va.govTitle: How to Break Free From the 'One More Year' Trap and Actually Retire
Article Snip: "Despite having more than enough money to retire, some people simply cannot leave their jobs. ...Maybe you’ve saved plenty of money for a happy retirement. But, for any number of reasons — sense of identity, purpose, or social connection — you just can’t say goodbye to the office. For some, work can offer structure and status that retirement might not replace. For others, it’s about staying mentally sharp, avoiding boredom, or having a deep attachment to the job. Financial security doesn’t always address these emotional or psychological needs.
According to the Pew Research Center, while 66.9% of people aged 65 to 74 have left the workforce, only 17.1% of people aged 55 to 64 are retired. ..."
Article Snip: "...Life expectancy in the US hovers around 78.4 years — there’s a special group of people who surpass this mark with flying colors. The retirees, known as “SuperAgers,” exhibit the memory and cognitive abilities of people in middle age.
A new report out of Northwestern University reveals unique traits of SuperAger brains that appear to shield them from dementia. ..."
Title: CEO warns America faces generational workforce crisis as boomers reach retirement
Article Snip: "CEO advises skipping college for skilled trades as workforce ages out ...U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that the U.S. population is older today than it’s ever been, and the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050. ..."
Reference: www.foxbusiness.comTitle: Five Super Foods for Your Heart | Every heart-healthy diet should include these foods
Article Snip: "...Blueberries
This "powerhouse" tops the list, says Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD, WebMD's director of nutrition.
And Lisa Hark, PhD, RD, says, "Blueberries are not only delicious but are also rich in antioxidants. ..."
Title: US plans to test Medicare, Medicaid coverage for weight-loss drugs, Washington Post reports
Article Snip: "...The Trump administration is considering a five-year pilot program to cover weight-loss drugs under Medicare and Medicaid, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing documents from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The documents outline plans that would allow the government insurance programs to cover Novo Nordisk's ..."
Reference: www.reuters.comArticle Snip: "For most retired Americans, Social Security is more than just a monthly check. It represents a financial foundation that helps them make ends meet. ...CPI-W, shelter and medical care services inflation respectively hit 3.8% and 3.4% on a trailing-12-month basis, ended June 2025. As long as the prevailing rate of inflation for these two critical spending categories remains higher than the COLA beneficiaries receive, the purchasing power of a Social Security dollar seems destined to decline.
But this is just one of two ways retirees appear set to lose in 2026.
In addition to key expense categories rising at a brisk pace, the Medicare Part B premium is projected to soar ...
"
Title: Millions of Medicare beneficiaries are facing a rude awakening
Article Snip: "...For the first time in the program’s history, CMS rejected some standalone Part D plan bids, citing “unacceptable, significant increases in cost sharing or reductions in benefits.” The agency also extended its emergency Premium Stabilization Demonstration, which caps how much monthly premiums can rise, though the cap will increase to $50 in 2026 from $35 in 2025. ..."
Reference: www.thestreet.comTitle: I’m a Retirement Planner: 5 Best Money Tips for Supplementing Social Security
Article Snip: "...Retiring comfortably often means getting creative with your income sources. If you’re counting on Social Security, for many retirees that alone is not enough income to live on.
But how does one go about supplementing Social Security? ..."
Title: Where do older folks meet other people?
Article Snip: "...A Reddit discussion on where older people meet others..."
Reference: www.reddit.comTitle: Prenups and Retirement Planning: Saying "I Do" In Later Life
Article Snip: "...Prenups aren't a traditional part of retirement planning, but for the growing number of over-65s getting remarried, they're an essential financial tool. ..."
Reference: www.kiplinger.comTitle: Tariff Stimulus Checks Coming? New Proposal Seeks Tax Rebates for U.S. Workers
Article Snip: "...A new GOP bill proposes to send $600 in tariff rebate checks to eligible taxpayers. Is there a catch?...(tax rebates), funded through revenue collected from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported goods.
That is the promise behind the American Worker Rebate Act, introduced in 2025 by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and seemingly backed by Trump. ...Trump has also chimed in, saying,
Title: UnitedHealth dropping some Medicare Advantage plans, impacting 600K
Article Snip: "...the decision to exit certain Medicare Advantage plans during a second-quarter earnings call Tuesday, noting it would primarily affect members in “less managed products such as PPO offerings.”
Medicare Advantage plans are private health insurance plans approved by Medicare that provide an alternative way for people to receive their Medicare benefits. In 2024, more than half (54%) of eligible Medicare beneficiaries, about 32.8 million people, were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. ...Insurers have seen a rise in expensive emergency room visits, and UnitedHealth leaders said that doctors are billing for more tests and services during those visits than they anticipated.
Insurance companies are also dealing with growing prescription drug costs, especially from expensive treatments for cancer and obesity, as well as gene therapy, The Associated Press noted."
Title: Social Security Administration backtracks on decision to end paper checks, reports say
Article Snip: "...The Social Security Administration will continue to send some paper checks to beneficiaries of the retirement program, reversing its recently announced plan to move all social security payments to electronic deposits beginning in the fall, according to media reports and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
... SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano agreed to continue to issuing paper checks for those who are unable to receive payments otherwise. ..."
Title: Prenups and Retirement Planning: Saying "I Do" In Later Life Article Snip: " ...Prenups aren't a traditional p...