Opinion: I took Social Security at 62 and now regret it. Is there a way to increase my Social Security benefit?
Recently I had a conversation with Sue, an acquaintance who started receiving her Social Security benefit at age 62. Sue’s now 63, and she told me that she thinks she might have made a mistake. The problem is that she has realized that starting Social Security early reduced the benefit significantly, and she’d been wondering if it was possible to […]
‘I am angry’: I’m an unmarried stay-at-home mother in a 20-year relationship, but my boyfriend won’t put my name on the deed of our house. Am I unreasonable?
I have been in my relationship for almost 20 years. For personal reasons, we are not married but we have a 10-year-old child. When our child was born, we decided that I would be a stay-at-home parent because my low-paying job didn’t cover the costs of child care, and at the time, we were stretched. […]
I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?
I’ll be 65 in a couple months. I retired at 63 and am currently receiving survivor Social Security payments (from my late husband). I plan on switching over to my Social Security at 70. I receive about $31,000 yearly in Social Security. I also take $600 each month out of my retirement account. I calculated […]
Opinion: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do
Both as a financial adviser and in my prior role as an attorney, I’ve seen families struggle with cognitive decline of an aging parent. Financial and estate planning can’t take away the heartache, but they can help families avoid some wrenching situations.In this article, I’ll share two scenarios drawn from real-life circumstances I’ve observed. One […]
What is Lunar New Year, and when does it start?
The Year of the Rabbit upon us. The Lunar New Year falls on Sunday, with many Asian communities celebrating the advent of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar. It’s the most important holiday in China, which is why the Chinese government is anticipating more than 2.1 billion journeys to […]
Bad omen? Americans ate out less over the holiday season.
What’s one of the first things people do when they get worried about the economy? They cook more at home and eat out less. That’s what happened toward the end of 2022. Sales at bars and restaurants fell in both November and December — the first back-to-back monthly declines in almost a year. Receipts at […]
Afraid of a recession and not ready to retire? Do this.
With talks of company layoffs and a possible recession, it’s prudent for older Americans who aren’t quite ready to retire to have a backup plan. Retirement Tip of the Week: Look over your resume, go through your list of contacts, brush up on any skills you need for your job and pretend you’re applying for […]
Citigroup’s Jane Fraser is fine with remote work — as long as employees stay productive
Shape up or ship into the office. That was essentially the message Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Jane Fraser had Tuesday for employees who slack off while working from home. While Citigroup C, -1.75% has been an outlier among Wall Street banks, offering a more flexible hybrid work schedule than most of its peers, that flexibility […]
This is the ‘sweet spot’ people are now willing to pay for a bottle of wine
Americans may be feeling financially constrained these days. And they may also be drinking less, as exemplified by the booming Dry January movement. But that’s not stopping them from spending $21 on a bottle of wine. That’s the price that has emerged as the consumer “sweet spot,” according to a new survey of more than […]
My stepbrother helped me get started in tech. I allowed him to live in my late’s father’s home. He told me, ‘Your dad wanted me to live here.’ What do I owe him?
My father dated someone when I was in early grade school, and mentored one of her sons, becoming the father figure he never had. For simplicity, I’ll refer to him as a stepbrother. I was about eight years younger, and my stepbrother helped me with some key decisions after I graduated. One key piece of […]