Category: Social Security
May 9, 2023 — Topretirements.com just named a Republican Senator and a Democratic Congressman as 2023 National Legislators of the Year. Senator Bill Cassidy (R.LA) and Representative John Larson (D. CT) were selected for the honor in recognition of their bi-partisan efforts to forge a solution for the impending Social Security crisis.
According to the Social Security 2023 Trustees Report, its reserves will become depleted by 2033, with continuing contributions sufficient to pay only 77 percent of scheduled benefits. As they do every year, the Trustees Report urged legislative action to avoid a funding shortfall that will eventually hurt every working American’s retirement security. Check this out" "What Is Your Social Security IQ?"
Representative Larson has developed the most specific bill seen so far to fix Social Security. Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust, addresses 15 specific points to improve this popular benefit, and includes a strategy for shoring up its finances. Some of his ideas include making up for past COLA adjustments with a modest benefit bump, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision, and providing caregiver credits. His plan to bolster the Trust funds includes a payroll tax on wages over $400,000 per year (currently that stops at $160,200).
Senator Cassidy is co-leader of a Senate group that is trying to protect Social Security. A joint statement made earlier this year by that group said that they are considering dozens of ideas to protect Social Security. The group stresses that it’s important to look at all the components of a solution together, especially in the context of the crisis we face if nothing is done. There are dozens of considerations being weighed to protect Social Security, including locking early retirement at 62, an ironclad protection for lower-wage workers, and seeking avenues to increase benefits immediately.
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Published on May 9, 2023
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Category: International Retirement
With Elizabeth Varadan
May 8, 2023 -- Special thanks to the expat writer Elizabeth Varadan for this fascinating interview about how she loves her retirement in Portugal. It sure makes it seem like Portugal is a great place to retire.
Q. Why and when did you decide to have your retirement in Portugal?
A. We vacationed for many years in Galicia, a region of Spain north of Portugal. On one visit, I decided to write a cozy mystery and set it in Portugal, since so many cozies abroad are set in France or Spain. A map showed that Braga was only about 2 to 3 hours away from Galicia, so I decided to set my story there. After an exploratory trip, we fell in love with Portugal, and after repeated trips and two books, we decided to retire there. In the midst of our research, I also stumbled upon casino zonder cruks beste uibetaling — a topic that caught my interest due to its connection to the growing gaming industry in Europe. We liked everything about Portugal: the art, museums, and events. People are welcoming and friendly. It’s very family-oriented. Parents take their kids everywhere, and you can see the mutual affection and closeness. The cost of living is reasonable, and it’s also a non-violent culture, which resonated with us, given the escalating gun violence in America.
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Published on May 8, 2023
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
May 2, 2023 -- May is National Stroke Awareness Month, so this is a good time to think about what you can do to prevent one from happening to you. After all, you have worked hard to get ready for the retirement you deserve, don't let a stroke rob you of your reward.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). It is the number 5 cause of death in the U.S. (#3 for women) and the leading cause of disability. The good news is that many strokes may be prevented through blood pressure control, a healthy diet, regular physical activity and smoking cessation. Each plays a big part in decreasing your risk for stroke, disability or even death.
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Published on May 1, 2023
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Category: Active adult communities
By Anonymous One of our long time Members and his wife visited Embrey Mill recently. We thank him for sharing his observations on the visit! May 1, 2023 — We’ve been in our present home for about 20 years and have been considering downsizing for a while. We…
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Published on April 30, 2023
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Category: Active adult communities
April 26, 2023 -- By now most people thinking about retiring have heard about The Villages, the huge retirement complex that spans over 3 Florida counties. It has more amenities and features than anyone could ever enjoy in their retirement. But what about its other large Florida competitors - how does The VIllages compare to On Top of the World and Solivita? In this article we will summarize and contrast The Villages with two of its major competitors in Florida - On Top of the World and Solivita. For the record, there are some other large competitors too, Century Village and Sun City Center, among others.
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Published on April 26, 2023
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Category: Active adult communities
April 20, 2023 -- It is always fascinating to explore what 55+ and active communities at Topretirements garner the most attention from our Members and Visitors. Fortunately, by looking at the data from Google Analytics, we can get a pretty good picture. And if we had to offer one big conclusion about what we learned, it is that there is no predicting which community listings will attract the most attention. Interestingly, while analyzing trends, we noticed increased interest in topics related to digital currencies, such as Tron, as some retirees are beginning to explore alternative investment options, including cryptocurrency. Household names like The Villages and On Top of the World always show up high on a list like this, but most of the rest of the winners are surprises. Since everyone knows about the really big communities, we will not include them on this list in the interest of variety.
Here are the 15 most popular (non-brand name) communities visited at Topretirements in the last 6 months. They offer a range of choices: some are 55+ while others are open to all ages; in waterfront, mountain, and desert environments; manufactured homes; and one life care community. They represent a range of 9 different states. Please let us know about any you think we should have named!
15 Best Active Adult Communities
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Published on April 19, 2023
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Category: Adventurous retirement
By Bill Carito:
April 13, 2023 -- I wrote in January about our experience driving an all-electric Volkswagen Id.4 from Portland, Maine to Key West, Florida (see Snowbirding Electrically - Part 1). Thought I should provide an update about our trip home. The verdict? Totally uneventful, which is what you want from a long drive home.
Bill getting a charge
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Published on April 13, 2023
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 12, 2023 -- There are a whole lot of people who want to retire on or near a beach. The sea breezes, sandy beaches, open waters, and laid back little towns certainly have their appeal. Here are 10 great undiscovered beach towns that might be ideal for your retirement. Obviously with so many people interested in that lifestyle, there are relatively few bargains available. But here we have tried to avoid the most expensive places. A few are household names, others are definitely not.
10 undiscovered beach towns for retirement
Westerly, RI. Near the Connecticut border the town of Westerly includes Watch Hill, a watering hole for New York's elite. Misquamicut State Beach is one of the finest public beaches anywhere in the country, and there is great surfing here. The downtown is especially beautiful with classic buildings, churches, and library.
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Published on April 12, 2023
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
North Carolina Best Walkable Places April 6, 2023 — Earlier this year we wrote about the best walkable towns in South Carolina. Not to be outdone, here are some great towns with good walkability in its northerly neighbor, North Carolina. Downtown New Bern New Bern, NC. We really liked…
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Published on April 5, 2023
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Category: Social Security
April 5, 2023 — The Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report on the current and projected financial status of the two programs each year. This summarizes the findings of the 2023 Trustee reports. As in prior years, it found that the Social Security and Medicare programs…
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Published on April 5, 2023
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