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Try It NOWCategory: Social Security
October 15, 2026 — Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 76 million Americans will increase 3.6 percent in 2027. That represents the largest COLA since 2023, and is due to persistent high inflation. Some components of the index used to base the COLA, such…
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Category: Uncategorized
The weekly Topretirements newsletter is still available and Free, but not as frequent or in the same format. The good news is that we still be available in a different format, Substack. It is free, and you can sign up here if you are not already getting…
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Category: Social Security
The word is getting out: If Congress doesn't act, Social Security retirement benefits could be cut by about 22% in late 2032. That's just six years away, and it has a lot of people spooked.
The result? More Americans approaching retirement are apparently thinking about claiming Social Security at the earliest possible age, 62. Their logic is understandable.
Take the Money and Run - is That Really the Smartest Strategy?
For years, Social Security experts have generally advised people who can afford to wait to delay claiming, sometimes all the way to age 70. Waiting produces a substantially larger monthly benefit for life. But with Social Security's retirement trust fund projected to be depleted in 2032, even some retirees who understand the advantages of waiting are having second thoughts.
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Category: Retirement Planning
Most people spend decades planning how to retire financially. Surprisingly few spend even an afternoon planning what they’ll actually do once they get there. That’s a mistake. Your first job in retirement isn’t managing your investments—that’s important, but not job #1. What’s Your Most Important Job in…
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Category: Social Security
A new bipartisan bill designed to break Congress's decades-long deadlock over fixing Social Security has drawn criticism from AARP. The PROMISE Act would create a fast-track process intended to produce recommendations before Social Security's trust the Social Security trust funds becoming exhausted in 2032.
AARP's criticism surprised us because the organization has long urged Congress to address Social Security's looming financing shortfall. Without legislation, current projections show benefits would see about a 22% cut beginning in 2032. AARP's concern is not with solving the problem, but with how the solutions would be developed.
The legislation does not change Social Security benefits directly. Instead, it creates a bipartisan process for developing a long-term solvency plan that Congress would then vote on.
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Category: Bucket Lists
Some bucket list dreams take a lifetime
Fifty-three years ago I stood at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Adventurers in rubber rafts floated into view, screaming in delight as they surged through the the Colorado River’s Hermit Creek Rapids. I remember thinking, "Someday I'm going to raft that river."
This June, at age 77, I finally did.
If you've ever wondered whether a Grand Canyon rafting trip belongs on your retirement bucket list, here's a glimplse into what it's like.
It turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life—a combination of spectacular scenery, physical challenge, great companionship, and just enough adrenaline to make every rapid memorable.
So many ways to go
There are several ways to experience the Colorado River, from motorized rafts to private expeditions and even solo kayaking. We chose an eight-night guided trip covering the lower half of the canyon with AZRA, Arizona Raft Adventures, who we highly recommend. Twenty-one guests and eight experienced guides traveled in five inflatable rafts powered by oars and paddles. The full trip is about 15 days. You can take either the upper or lower half to reduce the trip, but either of those requires hiking up or down the demanding Bright Angel Trail.
Grand Canyon Raft Trip at a Glance
Trip Length9 days (lower canyon)Hiking Required8.5-mile Bright Angel TrailBest TimeSpring & Fall (or early summer)Fitness LevelModerate to HighReservationsOften 12 months ahead
The adventure begins…
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Category: Social Security
Congress has 6 years to save Social Security
June 23, 2026 -- As election season heats up, there is one question every candidate for Congress should be forced to answer:
What are you going to do to prevent a 20% cut in Social Security benefits?
This isn't a distant problem. According to the latest projections, Social Security's trust funds are expected to run short of money by 2032 or 2033. If Congress does nothing, benefits would automatically be reduced by about 20%.
That possibility should concern everyone—not just retirees. Current retirees depend on Social Security for a significant share of their income. Future retirees have spent decades paying into the system. And younger workers will eventually rely on the program too.
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
How AI Can Make Retirement Easier, Smarter, and More Fun
June 4, 2026 - A few months ago I spent hours comparing SUVs that could fit in our narrow garage. Then I asked an AI chatbot the same question. In less than a minute it gave me a detailed analysis that was better than anything I had found on my own.
That's when I realized AI isn't just for techies anymore. It can be a remarkably useful retirement tool—helping with everything from travel planning and medical questions to home projects and creative writing.
Which AI should I use
There are several AI chat bots to choose from. Some people prefer one over service over another. I use ChatGBT, my brother prefers Claude. Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity are others. Most are free - up to a point. For example you can use ChatGBT for free, until you go over a daily data limit. If you use it for art or graphics, that gets used up pretty quickly. In that case you can get the paid version, which seems unlimited, for $20/month. Actually, the first answer you get now when you search for something on Google is from AI.
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
May 20, 2026 -- Frequent visitors to this site might remember one of your Editor's top regrets in retirement - failing to put more money into Roth IRA's and 401(k) Roths. By putting more of my contributions into regular (non Roth) retirement accounts, I set myself up for having to take sizable Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), all taxable income, starting in my 70's. Those pushed up my tax bracket, along with much higher Medicare Part B premiums.
Fidelity recently put out a very helpful primer on Roth conversions - 4 Back Doors to a Roth Conversion.
The problem for higher income taxpayers is that are limits that shut them out of contributing to Roths. Married couples filing jointly with a modified adjusted gross income of $252,000 or more cannot direct contributions. But Fidelity's suggestions can help overcome that.
The Roth Advantage
Regular IRAs and 401(k)s have an immediate tax advantage; contributions to those accounts reduce your taxable income in the year you make them. But you must take RMDs once you hit the age of 73. Then all of the deposits and your investment returns count as ordinary income. Funds in your Roth accounts, on the other hand, can be withdrawn (after retirement age) with no impact on taxes. That includes all the investment increases you might have had over the life of your account - 50 or more years for some people. Your heirs share this advantage too - they will be subject to RMDs, but none of that money is taxable.
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Category: Life Care or CCRC
By Jeff Alden
May 18, 2026 --Yesterday Paulette and I drove out to visit The Woodlands again. We’d been on thewaiting list since 2018, when we moved to Greenville, S.C. from Minneapolis. We were almostten years younger then. The Woodlands at Furman (the small university it’s loosely connectedto) is billed as a “Life Care Community,” designed to take you from independent-living throughto the end. At the time, the idea of moving to such a place, otherwise called a CCCR orcontinuum of care retirement community, seemed to us remote and undesirable at best.
We were still both in pretty good health. But now Paulette had just turned 79 and I was 76. We didn’t have children and both my brothers lived on the West Coast. We’d witnessed our parents decline and die, so who exactly was going to give us the kind of care we’d given to them as they aged over many difficult years.
Still, we didn’t want to move to The Woodlands. We loved our Greenville home, ourneighbors and neighborhood, the short walks to Main Street in “happening” downtownGreenville or the beautiful Cleveland Park, where we walked (tallying our steps) nearly everyday.
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