Category: Social Security
July 4, 2025 - In an unusually partisan email that appears to have been sent to all Social Security beneficiaries today, the Social Security Administration touted the "Big Beautiful Bill" just signed into law. The headline of the email was: "Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors". The email has sparked outrage from former Social Security Administration officials and responsible media sources.
While every administration always tries to shine the brightest lights on its goings on, Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano hit a new sycophantic high in its misleading email: “This is a historic step forward for America’s seniors.... By significantly reducing the tax burden on benefits, this legislation reaffirms President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security and helps ensure that seniors can better enjoy the retirement they’ve earned."
If only that were true!
Misleading and not true
The New York Times, CBS, NBC, AARP, and many other groups were quick to criticize the email. One example, according to the NY Times: “The S.S.A. statement implies there is a direct tax cut on Social Security benefits,” said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, “which there is not.”
No help for the bottom half
The bill does nothing to help the poorest Americans. Individuals earning less than $25,000 per year and $32,000 for couples do not owe any taxes. Recipients earning more than that paid taxes on up to 85% of their benefits, depending on their income. Prior to the new bill less than half of beneficiary families owed federal income tax on their benefits, according to the SSA.
Header for the misleading email
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Published on July 4, 2025
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Special thanks to our Member, Barbara, who provided the information for this article. She and her husband retired to this area on the Delaware coast and wanted others to know about it.
July 10, 2025 -- When most people dream about retirement, their minds wander to the sunny shores of Florida, the desert warmth of Arizona, or the breezy charm of the Carolinas. But there's a hidden gem nestled along the Mid-Atlantic coast that’s quietly attracting a growing number of retirees.
Welcome to Sussex County, Delaware—a place where serene beaches, friendly neighbors, and incredibly low property taxes make it one of the smartest (and most delightful) places to retire on the East Coast. Barbara and her husband are very happy here.
The Property Tax Secret No One Talks About
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Published on July 9, 2025
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Category: Bucket Lists
July 16, 2025 -- Maybe you've seen the movie "The Bucket List", starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In the movie they each have less than a year to live. The plot unfolds from there, as this odd duo goes on a road trip trying to accomplish as much as possible in the days remaining before they "kick the bucket". Its premise is so applicable to those of us who are starting out in retirement. Although we are luckier than Nicholson and Morgan in that we (hope!) we have more than 1 year to accomplish our list, that also carries the danger that we have so much time left that we feel like we don't have to get started any time soon.
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Published on July 16, 2025
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
July 20, 2025 — Do you find yourself leaning forward to hear someone? Do you have to ask your grandchildren to repeat themselves? Do family members mention that the TV is pretty loud? Welcome to making it a "certain age" - you are probably experiencing normal age related hearing loss.
Sadly, it has to come to this for your Editor. I suspect many Topretirements Members are going through some of the same issues. In the hopes that others might learn something from my experiences, this article will share my recent (and continuing) adventures in hearing. Part 1 is about selection, Part 2 covers my experiences wearing them.
My decline in hearing has been coming a long time. About 10 years ago I first visited an Otolaryngologist, (ENT - Ear Nose and Throat M.D.). I kept taking hearing tests most years after that, always with the same result. The doctor showed me that I am missing the higher frequencies; where women, children, and many of the sounds of nature occur. But he didn’t think I was ready to be prescribed hearing aids.
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Published on July 19, 2025
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
July 23, 2025 – There is crazy and there is cruel, and both themes are running rampant at the U.S. Department of Labor these days. For cruelty, the Labor Department has just proposed eliminating some safety standards at factories and mines, as well as to limit the government’s ability to…
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Published on July 22, 2025
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
July 23, 2025 -- Almost two thirds of Americans have this understandable fear- that they will live longer than their money lasts. According to the Morningstar Center for Retirement & Policy Studies, 45% of Americans who retire at 65 have an increased risk of running out of retirement savings before they die.
The basic problem is that most people haven't saved enough for a comfortable retirement. Just over half of baby boomers have saved less than $250,000. Another problem, even for retirees who do have significant retirement savings, is that most do not have a systematic approach to withdrawing those funds. One study by IRALogix found that only 22% of retirees have some kind of plan for taking down their savings. This article will try to provide some help on that score.
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Published on July 23, 2025
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
July 29, 2025 -- Everybody's talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Governments are fretting about how control it, employees worry it will take away their jobs, and a lot of other folks don't really care that much. The reality is that it here to stay, and about to change our world profoundly. There are so many ways to use it to help with your daily life, only limited by your imagination. Here's one very specific use, how to predict when you can retire, and how much it will take to do that comfortably.
Start by logging into a free AI service
We've been using ChatGBT (OpenAI), but there are plenty of others to choose from. Those include Google's Gemini for creative tasks and Claude. Microsoft's Copilot is another good one. You will probably have to create a login. They are usually free to start with, but if you use them a lot you will have to pay a relatively modest fee.
So When can I retire?
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Published on July 28, 2025
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