Retirement,Social Security - Registered Investment Advisor

Readers Speak, Ready to March

By Scott Burns Some columns hit a nerve. I was quickly deluged with emails from people “Ready to March” after the publication of my recent column on how low interest rates may cut the long term retirement income of seniors by as much as 50...

Posted Jul 30 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security, Economy

Solvent Seniors and the Matrix of Misery

By Scott Burns Will we make it through retirement? That question dominates my email as readers try to figure out how the recession, low interest rates and a dismal stock market will affect their future. Without a crystal ball, the best tool is financial...

Posted Jul 16 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security, Economy

Want a Good Raise? Retire

By Scott Burns Senior citizens can look forward to a major increase in Social Security benefits next year. Unless there is a sudden rush of deflation in the current quarter, the increase will be the largest in 25 years. Yes, you read that right: the largest...

Posted Aug 01 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 9 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

Steps for Getting a Guaranteed Lifetime Income

By Scott Burns Q. I am 73 and have investigated buying back the Social Security benefits I took at age 62. The buyback number is $158,529. My current monthly benefit is $1,231. A total buyback would give me a new monthly benefit of $2,019. This is a difference...

Posted Jul 16 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement, Social Security

Why We’re All Confused about “Safe” Withdrawal Rates

By Scott Burns Q. You confused me recently in a column about safe rates of withdrawal. I am 68 years old and 80 percent invested in CDs. My CDs are currently paying between 5 percent and 5.5 percent. If I withdraw only 4 percent or 5 percent from my investments...

Posted Oct 10 2007, 03:30 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement, Social Security

Joseph Vineyard, Meet Joe Six Pack

On this glorious Labor Day Weekend I’d like to say a few words about the futility of work. I’m serious. Take a look around. Today, we’re all 24/7, strutting with Blackberries and Bluetooth, miles from the long-lost desk and office, not to mention home...

Posted Aug 31 2007, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

We’re Better off than We Think

What if we’re not improvident fools? That possibility is suggested by a recent study. It received virtually no attention, perhaps because it contained no bad news. The study provides some confirmation of what I’ve been hinting at for several years---...

Posted Jul 27 2007, 10:30 AM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

Who Will Get Your Employer's 401(K) Contributions?

Today's Rude Opinion Poll: Which description best characterizes our elected representatives in Washington, regardless of party affiliation? They are hapless boobs, constantly passing laws that contradict each other. They are scheming miscreants, relentlessly...

Posted May 26 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 26 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security, Taxes & Other Disasters, Government

The Realities of Retirement Income

If there is a mythical god in charge of retirement, it would have to be Janus. Best known as the Roman god with two faces--- one looking forward, one back--- Janus was the master of beginnings and endings. You and I see this every month in magazines....

Posted Apr 28 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 5 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

Workers, Retirees, and the Consumer Price Index

So far this century, life is treating retirees about as well as those who still work. That could become a real problem. You can see what's happening by comparing two figures. One is the annual cost- of-living increase in retiree benefits. The other...

Posted Dec 18 2005, 10:42 AM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

A Model Government Plan

"How does the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) compare with industry plans?" So asks F.C., a San Antonio reader. Answer: It compares very, very well. Indeed, in "The Coming Generational Storm" (MIT Press, $17) Professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff and I suggest...

Posted Aug 02 2005, 02:49 PM by scottb with | with no comments

Filed under: Medicare & Generational Storm, Retirement, Social Security

Squeezing the Working Generation

The recently released 2005 Social Security Trustees Report, a 225 page document that will never be confused with the eagerly awaited "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," contains a table you can use to foretell an important part of your future. Modestly...

Posted Apr 21 2005, 02:02 PM by scottb with | with no comments

Filed under: Medicare & Generational Storm, Retirement, Social Security

Future Retirees Will Pay More Taxes

If you want to replace your purchasing power in retirement, you'll have to pay more taxes to Uncle Sam today. You'll have to pay still more tomorrow. This will happen because Uncle Sam has had the power to tax Social Security benefits since 1983. Few...

Posted Apr 19 2005, 12:28 PM by scottb with | with no comments

Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Retirement, Social Security

Retirees: Have You Checked Your Support Group Lately?

This week's rude question: How many McJobs does it take to produce a Social Security retirement check? If we treated this as a light bulb joke--- as in "How many BLANK does it take to change a light bulb?"--- We could expect a variety of answers, such...

Posted Nov 24 2004, 10:09 AM by scottb with | with no comments

Filed under: Retirement, Social Security

Escaping the Social Security Tax Gantlet

Q. I read with interest your article on annuities and Social Security taxation. It brought up questions that have been bothering me. How does one determine whether a life annuity will protect Social Security income from taxation? Are all life annuities...

Posted Sep 02 2004, 03:31 PM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement, Social Security

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Registered Investment Advisor

Readers Speak, Ready to March

Solvent Seniors and the Matrix of Misery

Want a Good Raise? Retire

Steps for Getting a Guaranteed Lifetime Income

Why We’re All Confused about “Safe” Withdrawal Rates

Joseph Vineyard, Meet Joe Six Pack

We’re Better off than We Think

Who Will Get Your Employer's 401(K) Contributions?

The Realities of Retirement Income

Workers, Retirees, and the Consumer Price Index

A Model Government Plan

Squeezing the Working Generation

Future Retirees Will Pay More Taxes

Retirees: Have You Checked Your Support Group Lately?

Escaping the Social Security Tax Gantlet

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