Dec 29 Are more FICA taxes worth it? Social Security as longevity insurance By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are inflation indexed and continue until you die. There is nothing like them that you can buy on the insurance market, says Larry Kotlikoff. That's why paying more FICA taxes, often by working longer, may pay off… Continue reading
Dec 23 Will Social Security count my big earnings if I lose my job before 66? By Laurence Kotlikoff If you lose your high-paying job before full retirement age, you don't lose Social Security benefits you've already paid for, says expert Larry Kotlikoff. What you might miss out on, though, is an opportunity to raise your lifetime benefits even… Continue reading
Dec 18 Where to give your money this holiday season, according to behavioral economics By Paul Solman If you're fortunate enough to be able to donate money this holiday season, which organizations will be receiving your checks? Paul Solman speaks with Yale behavioral economist Dean Karlan about the causes that are using funds most efficiently. Continue reading
Dec 11 How Social Security still discriminates against same-sex couples By Laurence Kotlikoff Even if a same-sex couple is married in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, if they live in a state where it's not, and one spouse tries to collect spousal or survivor benefits, he or she will not be… Continue reading
Dec 01 Collect your Social Security as if you may live to 100 By Laurence Kotlikoff If you live to 100, which is increasingly likely for middle class Americans in decent health, says Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff, you’ll be extremely happy you waited until age 70 to collect your retirement benefit. Continue reading
Nov 24 Retiring? Here's how to get an extra month of Social Security benefits for free By Laurence Kotlikoff If you are going to file for your Social Security retirement benefit early, and you play your cards right, Larry Kotlikoff has a new trick for you to maximize your benefits. Continue reading
Nov 19 Don't be fooled by Medicare drug plans with low premiums By Philip Moeller When shopping for Medicare drug plans, many consumers are wowed by lower monthly premiums and don’t look at other plan details that will affect their total out-of-pocket expenses. Making Sen$e's Medicare Maven Phil Moeller tells readers what other costs to… Continue reading
Nov 17 When Social Security will let you take only one benefit at a time By Laurence Kotlikoff Once you have filed for two benefits, you get just the larger of the two. So to maximize your Social Security, the trick is to take one benefit -- a widows benefit, for example, or your own retirement benefit --… Continue reading
Nov 12 The Medicare drug subsidy that millions of enrollees overlook By Philip Moeller More than 30 percent of all Medicare Part D participants received low-income subsidies last year to help them pay their prescription drug bills, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that as many as 2 million more Medicare… Continue reading
Nov 10 How Social Security denied one woman the advice she deserved By Laurence Kotlikoff Larry Kotlikoff and former Social Security technical expert Jerry Lutz intervene on behalf of a disabled divorcée who was getting all the wrong answers from the Social Security offices in her area. Continue reading