...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: Will The Maximum Social Security Benefit Increase In 2020?
Article Snip: "...There is some good news and some bad news for workers near the top of the Social Security payroll tax levels. For 2019, the top-level is $132,900 or more. The bad news is that more of your income will get hit with Social Security taxes in 2020..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: Retire Before 40?! 10 Towns Where Your Dream Can Come True
Article Snip: "...#1 is Huntsville, Alabama, Average salary: $54,630**, Percentage of high-paying jobs: 28.1%, Median home sale price: $202,900. This Southern city is anything but sleepy, since it serves as home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, and offices for Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. With such aerospace, defense, and tech heavyweights in the area, Huntsville is famed for its educated workforce and sky-high wages to go with it. Paired with Huntsville's low home prices and a cost of living 3.3% lower than the national average..."
Reference: www.chron.comTitle: Federal Retirees Will Get 1.6% COLA in 2020
Article Snip: "...Retired federal workers will receive a cost of living adjustment of 1.6% to their defined benefit pensions next year..."
Reference: www.govexec.comTitle: Watch for These 9 Signs of Identity Theft
Article Snip: "...contact the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, to request a credit freeze on your accounts. Also known as a security freeze, this helps prevent new accounts from being opened in your name. A credit freeze is free and won’t affect your credit score..."
Reference: www.msn.comTitle: Elizabeth Warren’s new plan calls for tax hike on wealthy to pay for Social Security overhaul
Article Snip: "...Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling for the wealthy to pay for an overhaul of Social Security that would boost the annual payment to retirees by $2,400 and extend the program’s solvency by two decades..."
Reference: www.chicagotribune.comTitle: Top Retirement Strategies for Government Employees
Article Snip: "...Retirement planning is different if your career has been as a government employee. The mainstream advice about 401(k) plans and Social Security benefits doesn’t apply to you. Here’s a look at the top strategies for government employees to plan for a successful retirement..."
Reference: www.investopedia.comTitle: Should You Carry Your Mortgage Into Retirement?
Article Snip: "...there can be some drawbacks. Carrying a mortgage in retirement can be a good idea in certain situations, but it is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution for increasing retirement income..."
Reference: www.investopedia.comTitle: Baby Boomers: Don't Buy Into These 10 Pre-Retirement Investment Myths
Article Snip: "...As Baby Boomers approach retirement, they may encounter a lot of so-called “expert” advice telling them how to invest just before or during their golden years. While some of this guidance is sound, other tips are myths that may, in fact, steer investors in the wrong direction..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: What You Don't Know (But Should) About Your Thrift Savings Plan
Article Snip: "...federal employees and members of the military save for retirement with a different kind of account: the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP. In some ways, TSPs function similarly to 401(k)s. You make contributions, and your..."
Reference: www.forbes.comTitle: What's a Roth 401(k)? The other employer-based retirement plan that lets your savings grow tax free
Article Snip: "...The Roth 401(k), like a Roth IRA, lets you build a nest egg that grows tax-free, but relatively few workers take advantage of this opportunity..."
Reference: www.nbcnews.comTitle: The 10 Worst US States for Opportunity
Article Snip: "...The Alabama State is ranked 3rd worst in opportunities mainly due to poor remuneration for employees. The workforce earns below the national average per household.Allocation to public schools is lesser than in other states. Crime rates are comparatively higher. The recent job growth is about 0.04% while the cost of living index is at 91.2. Alabama is ranked 48th in economic opportunities though in terms of affordability it is ranked 17th..."
Reference: www.worldatlas.comTitle: Alabama next to last in US News ranking of best and worst states
Article Snip: "...Alabama ranked last among the states in the education category. Its other rankings were..."
Reference: www.al.comTitle: You're Most Likely to Die From Cancer in 1 of These States
Article Snip: "...looking at data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention on cancer rates in different states. The states with the highest incidence rates for cancer are Kentucky, Rhode Island, Delaware, Louisiana and New Jersey. The states with the lowest rates are New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Alaska and Virginia..."
Reference: www.usnews.comTitle: Rates of Unsolved Murder by State
Article Snip: "...News reports based on FBI statistics show that somewhere between 35%-40% of homicides in the US go unsolved in the US today. Uniform Crime Reporting data, available at the state level (excluding Florida)..."
Reference: www.unz.comTitle: America's Most Dangerous States
Article Snip: "...Of course, crime rates cannot be analyzed in isolation. To gain a better sense of safety across the country, it's helpful to incorporate statistics pertaining to clearance rates to gauge how often crimes are actually solved. Additionally, historical figures present a more balanced picture of how violent crime is evolving in each region: For example, the South has the highest murder rate per capita, but did boast the most year-over-year improvement in that category in 2017..."
Reference: www.safehome.orgTitle: 10 Best and Worst States for Health Insurance Costs
Article Snip: "...The combination of a high monthly premium, high deductible and high copays make Alabama the third-worst state for health insurance costs. The state’s lowest-cost silver plan, the Silver Compass 5000 plan offered by UnitedHealthcare, has a high deductible of $5,000, after which the enrollee is still responsible for 20 percent of care costs and a $20 copay for primary doctor visits. These lackluster benefits come at an above-median cost of $288 a month, or $3,456 a year. The state has not opted to expand Medicaid..."
Reference: www.huffpost.comTitle: Top ten states with the highest sales tax rates in the US
Article Snip: "...ALABAMA (9.14%) – The state sales tax rate in Alabama is only 4%, but again the majority of the sales tax rate comes from a combination of city, county, and district rates. Many cities have a combined rate in the double digits, with the highest being 11% in the city of York..."
Reference: intuit.comTitle: Which States Tax Groceries?
Article Snip: "...States that tax groceries (rate if not fully taxed): Alabama, Arkansas (3%), Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois (1%), Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri (1.225%), Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee (5.5%), Utah (1.75%), Virginia (1.5% + 1% local option tax), and West Virginia (5%)..."
Reference: taxfoundation.orgTitle: Retired feds avoid high-tax states
Article Snip: "...Nine states don’t have any personal or state tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Another nine states exempt CSRS and FERS annuities from state tax: Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and Pennsylvania...When it comes to the highest sales tax Tennessee, surprisingly, is No. 1 with a rate of 9.47%, which is why a lot of residents drive north to Kentucky — 38th with 6% sales tax..."
Reference: federalnewsnetwork.comTitle: This Retirement Mistake Could Cost You $301,479
Article Snip: "...A classic mistake, made by millions of people, is not starting to save for retirement soon enough. It's a mistake so huge that it could cost you $301,479 -- or more. Here's a closer look at what it could cost you..."
Reference: www.fool.comTitle: TSP Tax Deferred vs. Tax Exempt
Article Snip: "...Federal employees hired after July 31, 2010, have 3 percent of pay is deducted from every paycheck into the TSP account, and each government agency contributes 1 percent of pay. The agency also contributes 3 percent in Agency Matching Contributions. If hired before August 1, 2010, the TSP receives 1 percent equivalent pay contributions from the individual agency. His agency contributes up to 5 percent in matches..."
Reference: smallbusiness.chron.comTitle: Retirement Bills to Receive Big Push From Industry Lobbyists
Article Snip: "...The bills would provide U.S. workers with expanded opportunities to participate in employer-provided retirement plans while providing some administrative relief to employers and incentivizing them to offer more savings plan opportunities..."
Reference: 401kspecialistmag.comArticle Snip: "...If you already have 35 years of earnings, your benefit may or may not be affected by a decision to stop working now. Here's why: Any future..."
Reference: www.aarp.orgTitle: It’s going to get easier for some Americans to save for retirement
Article Snip: "...Small businesses across the country could use this type of program. Three-quarters of business owners who do not offer a retirement plan said they are not likely to implement one in the next two years..."
Reference: www.marketwatch.comeverify Social Security Lock | Protect Yourself From The Foreign Invasion Snippet of Article: "...Self Lock is the unique feature...