Money

We Need changes now for Social Security. They have been kicking the can down the road to long. This is not "Charity".  We need a New calculation for COLA.  This next year 2025, You will be paying another $ 10.00 or more for Medicare.  It adds up quick, not to mention increased price for ER visits, Specialist visits.  Seeing a regular M.D. ??  I doubt it. You mostly see a P.A., NP, or FNP.  They are fine. But they are not Doctors. People will say, Well You should have saved more for retirement. Really ?  Mine got wiped out as many others in the last crash.  If Billion's are given to Countries that despise Us, We should be able to help Seniors to at least live.  All We get from the Government is talk. Elise Stefanik is My Congress Woman. Her office does not call back. I've emailed Her many times, and have gotten a " Pre-Prepared form letter. Really ?  She is a ladder climber.  Politicians promises are gone with the wind. AARP needs t

Sometimes the perk of having an SUV that sits up very high in the air as it gives the driver the ability to see a full grown adult straight in the eye WITHOUT having to look upward that it is very expensive to own one.  I have been bugging politicians to tell these automakers to put a limit on how much they can charge for these kind of vehicles.  There are many non-profit organizations out there who has employees who would love to own something that sits up high in the air but can't afford one.  And sometimes all they could afford is a small 4-door sedan.  A Nissan Murano may be the only affordable SUV on the market as it does sit higher than  a 4-door sedan but doesn't sit as high as a Mercedes Benz G wagon.  I have written to my congresswoman to come up with a bill that would have a vehicle that has an overall height of 75 to 82 inches, but would cost no more than a vehicle that has an overall height of 63 to 69 inches.  I happen to be one of those

 I retired in May of 2022 at 69+2 two month which should have given me 25.3 delayed credits birthday being 3/1953 however I only received 22.7 credits witch put my credits back to January 2022 I was told that it would be recalculated and I would receive the other 2.6 credits and any benefits owed from January 2023. Well it’s been 1 year 11 months and still no recalculation. Tried to contact social security and I’m getting the run around would seem no one I speak to knows anything about withholding delayed credits I guess my next step will be to go to my local legislator office to see if I can get help there.  Since no one is in the local social security office and hasn’t been since the start of covid. Anyone else having this trouble?   

Just a quick heads-up...I recently received the following Spam email:Subject: 5 Year Membership to AARP for only $9 per Year! From:  August Specials ....It's bogus...no open...no click links! 

Just turned 62 and am starting a new job.  Since I am technically old enough to collect SS but am hoping to work another 5 years to boost my SS benefit, does it make sense to buy long-term disability insurance since most policies only cover thru age 65?

I have decided to sell my rental home, it is time.  Tenants are still living there. I am trying to decide how best to do it without having to pay outrageous commissions.  The property manager I use for my rental has not been that great, so I do not want her to sell it (she is also a realtor).  I am considering trying to sell it as "sale by owner" but I really don't like the idea of having to show the house and the time it will take to do that.  Has anyone tried using AARP's program where they partner up with agents?  If so, can you tell me your experience with that?  Thank you.  Brenda

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! VA Announces New Website and Call Center to Protect Veterans From Fraud. A multiagency federal effort aims for a ‘one-stop shop’ to help military families targeted by scams. By Christina Ianzito, AARP. Published August 13, 2024. Scams are rampant these days, and members of the veteran community are favorite targets of scammers; veterans, military personnel and their spouses reported $477 million in losses from scams last year — up $63 million in 2022 — according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).   In response, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the White House have announced the launch of VSAFE.gov and 833-38V-SAFE (833-388-7233). The new website and call center is meant to coordinate efforts across the federal government to protect veterans, service members and their families from fraud and scams. https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2024/vsafe-website-call-center.html

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! It Can Be Agony When a Loved One Is a Scam Victim — But Refuses to See It. Some chronic fraud victims deny that they’ve been targeted by scammers, frustrating the people who care about them. By Matt Alderton, AARP. Published August 20, 2024. Journalist April Helm, 49, makes her living reporting facts, but she had trouble getting her late mother, Sherri Tyson, to see the truth. In 2018, the widowed Tyson, who passed away in 2020 at age 72, met a much younger diamond magnate named Gerald online and became convinced that they were in love. She ended up losing $350,000 to the romance scammer, even as Helm tried her hardest to make her mother see that Gerald was a fake. https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2024/victims-in-denial.html

I am old school and I tip for good service - 20% or more I tip those who do a good job, but there has to be good service and an actual service.  I tip my gardener and those who do landscaping work around my home pretty well since I can see how they work and sometimes in not really good conditions.   I am aware of how tipping works in many restaurants - meaning that they share with others who are sometimes in the background.  While going to college, my Daughter spent many an hour working in an affluent area at a top notch restaurant and bar.  Some nites she would say why am I getting a degree when I’m making all of this in tips.  She was fortunate because not every server works in such a place.  After graduating with high degrees she learned and the education has really given back to her and she did not continue the restaurant work.  Money in hand does sometimes put stars in their eyes but it is the bigger picture that really count and i

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! 4 Retailers That No Longer Accept Paper Checks. And 10 that still do! By Donna Fuscaldo, AARP. Published August 16, 2024. In yet another sign the personal check is on its way out, Target recently announced it’s no longer accepting this form of payment, joining a growing list of retailers that have banned checks.   Retailers like Target have their reasons for banishing checks. Usage is a big one: Checks represent only 3 percent of transactions, according to Bankrate data. Fraud is another: In recent years there’s been a resurgence of check fraud, with merchants a common target. And in an era when speed is of the essence, nobody wants to wait behind a shopper paying by check. https://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-2024/retailers-that-do-not-accept-checks.html

Hackers May Have Stolen Your Social Security Number In a Massive Breach  Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I'm a little surprised I haven't heard anything about this from AARP.One of the few emails I still deliberatelly get is FWN Fraud Alerts...woulda thought this rated....even gave it a few days before posting anything.

1)     In the article,  Social Security Fears, many Social Security myths are addressed. What concerns you the most about Social Security? 

My late 70's friend and her Aspergers husband are sinking deeper into marital and financial trouble.  They have 3 houses in far-apart states.  She does all the work to take care of the properties, personal finances and all of their stuff. They need to sell at least one of their houses.  He can't/won't help her because its too frustrating for him to deal with her lack of organization and ability to finish projects. Plus it is physically painful for him to deal with strangers.  She is a very capable person but she no longer has her fastball and the projects are piling up around her.  She can't keep up and is falling further behind. The husband has expressed that he can no longer live with the situation. He is contemplating his mortality and all the things had hoped for in his later life.  She is overwhelmed with what to do to get her/their lives back on track.  They are both hurt and aren't sure what the future holds. They need an organization that

AARP Has a discount program with Payless Car Rental, Payless car rental is rated as one of the worst car rental companies on many web sites. I am surprised that AARP has an association with Payless.Renter Beware 

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! 6 Reasons Savers Are Skittish About Annuities. Shifting assets into an annuity can provide a reliable income stream in retirement, but concerns remain about complexity and cost. By Nicole Ridgway, AARP. Published July 31, 2024. Are annuities catching on? The numbers seem to say so. Sales of these insurance products, primarily designed to convert assets into a guaranteed income stream, have increased for 15 consecutive quarters and reached a record $215 billion in the first six months of 2024, up 19 percent from the same period last year, according to LIMRA, a trade association that conducts research for insurance and financial services companies. https://www.aarp.org/retirement/planning-for-retirement/info-2024/annuity-concerns-problems.html

AARP Fraud Watch Network - Watchdog Alert Handbook:  Common Elements of Today's Scams - and How to Stay Safe   (04/22) I was at my local library and picked up this pamphlet by AARP - a white 8 1/2"  x 5 1/2"  - 21 pages+ Here's a PDF version you can get a quick read- click here  ----->  https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/14/24/18e40b8f457db6298e0999c9a693/fraud-fwn-watchdog-042022.pdf 🤔

          It is reported about 10,000 baby boomers retire daily.Some of them want stay home where they are.Some want to move to other place to enjoy their retirement.Do you want retire and stay where you are?Or do you want move to a community where you can make friends and share commen interests? 

How can Medicare B not be covered automatically when benefits start regardless of the impact of work earnings?I am enrolled in Medicare part B while continuing to work.My benefits began, but my earnings exceeding the max level, are suspended for some months.Medicare is continuing to bill me for quarterly premiums.SSA informed me since I received no payment, my premium could not be deducted, therefore I owe it.When is Medicare ever going to know when to stop sending me quarterly billings, or for that matter, when to start them again if I continued to work?Thanks,

I am on SSDI an my spouse is on SSDI. He has liver cancer. When he passes away, how will SSDI work?

Here's what I'm trying to do and what I found out, but would like to confirm. I'm a U.S. citizen and permanent resident of Japan, having lived here 40 years. I live with my same sex partner of more than 20 years. While I'm eligible for U.S. social security benefits (I'm 67 now) I have not started taking retirement benefits yet. Since I'm still working, I thought I would try to wait until I turned 70 for maximum benefits. I'm lucky that even though I've been here so long I've managed to accumulate enough credits so I can get benefits which would be helpful. Also, even though I have national health insurance in Japan, I signed up for Medicare Parts A and B when I turned 65, in case I should ever need treatment in the U.S. - like on a visit. What I'm trying to do is this: I would  like to ensure that my partner receives social security survivor benefits when I eventually pass away. He has never been to the U.S. And we cannot marry in Japan. My benefits would be of great ass

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! Drivers: Keep an Eye Out for New Toll Road Scams. Criminals pretend to be highway officials requesting payment after your trip.By Ken Budd, AARP. Published July 05, 2024. Taking a road trip this summer? Gas prices and traffic jams aren’t your only concern. Cybercriminals are now asking drivers to pay fake highway tolls. The scam began gathering steam in early March, according to the FBI, and it appears to be growing more prevalent. https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2024/toll-road-texts.html

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! Scammers Who Commit Title Fraud Steal Your Identity — Then Your Home. Criminals can use public information to victimize both buyers and owners in this real estate scam. By Matt Alderton, AARP. Published July 16, 2024. Since his untimely death from a heart attack in 1977, Elvis Presley’s adoring fans have been flocking to his home to pay their respects. This spring, however, Presley’s mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, attracted an entirely different kind of admirer: Naussany Investments & Private Lending (NIPL), a dubious investment firm that tried to sell the King’s Graceland estate after purporting to have acquired the deed from his late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. ​According to a lawsuit filed by actor Riley Keough, who is Elvis’s granddaughter and Graceland’s trustee, NIPL claimed to have granted a $3.8 million loan to Lisa Marie Presley in 2015, at which time she offered the deed to Graceland as collateral. When the

Share your tips and tricks for saving money. For example, I like flavored water without sweeteners or carbonation but the price of bottles at the store just keep going up and up with fewer sales.  I was in Walmart and saw a mainstays wide mouth mason jar infuser lid for $1.50 (less than the cost of one premade bottle).  I add water to a large mason jar, put some frozen fruit, usually purchased on sale, in the infuser and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.  Not only do I have cheaper flavored water but I can make my own flavor blends.  What are you favorite quick and easy ways to save money?

FROM ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! Multiple tenants all expect to move into the same house. By AARP. Published July 19, 2024. Phillip and his family are planning a move from Las Vegas to Denver and need a new place to live quickly. He finds the perfect rental house on Craigslist but he doesn’t want to take any chances and flies to Denver to tour the home with the real estate agent. A few days after he moves in, a woman knocks on the door claiming she has also rented the house. They realize this is more than just a crazy mix-up when a second person arrives expecting to move. https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2024/-family-left-homeless-rental-scam.html

Long story short, I work a full time job and I will be 67 yrs old .  I recieved a notification from SS that I can start collecting my full SS. Friends are telling me not to start collecting since I am still working full time. Why isn't it a good idea to start now. Will I pay more for Medicare or will I pay more taxes. Thanks!