Retirement is defined as “leaving one’s job or ceasing to work.” But it involves so much more than that. As I wrote in “Retirement As A Death,” leaving one’s job is an emotional and psychological roller coaster, particularly when one is not prepared. In order to retire successfully, it is…

The Social Security Administration recently introduced enhancements that should make it easier for beneficiaries to do business with the agency. One change is the acceptance of many more electronic signatures and form submissions. Most correspondence and forms no longer will require a physical, or wet, signature. Social Security said 50…

As you know, for most people, you can claim Social Security retirement benefits between the ages of 62 and 70. Full retirement age is between the ages of 62 and 70. This is the age Social Security considers you to be “fully retired”. Full retirement age ranges between 66 to…

Mortgage rates barely moved this week, but long-term notes declined to the lowest levels Americans have seen since 2022. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 6.08% from last week’s reading of 6.09%. The average…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. During…

For the first time since 2006, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) didn’t release next year’s projected premiums and other data for Medicare Part D policies in July. Instead, the CMS has been reworking the program to keep Part D 2025 premiums from rising substantially, increases that would be…

There are things in life that are not a matter of opinion. They are a matter of math. We do not believe that financial decisions, whether they are about Roth IRA conversions, a snowbird lifestyle, or a gifting program for your children and grandchildren, should be based on an inclination…

After years of favoring online and telephone scams, a number of crooks are drifting back to old-fashioned theft involving paper checks. In the last year, a number of individuals, including employees of the U.S. Postal Service, have been arrested or indicted for stealing paper tax refund checks. Over $3 million…

Careful research done by Ph.D economists conclude we face a huge retirement shortfall. We are about eight to nine years away from Social Security’s inability to pay full benefits; all boomers are past age 60, and the typical Gen Y and Millennial is predicted to do a little worse or…

Many retirees are finding that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and they’re returning to work in some way. In fact, the number is in the millions, as indicated by the results of a recent survey of retirees conducted by T. Rowe Price. They report that 1.5 million…