All posts by: lanergyadmin

Jan 15, 2015|Cliff Goldstein, MarketWatch If you’re nearing retirement, you’ll likely be faced with a decision: Should you start taking Social Security at the earliest age possible, 62, wait until you reach your full retirement age (65 to 67, depending...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor April 15 is rapidly approaching and now is a good time to start getting ready. The following are some suggested steps to take now while there is still time to ensure...

Wednesday, January 07, 2015 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor The stock market, both in the US and abroad, has been turbulent again of late. On Monday, January 5, the Dow Jones Index dropped over 130 points, or 0.75%, and yesterday,...

Wednesday, December 30, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor Deciding how spouses should coordinate their Social Security claiming decisions when both are eligible for retirement benefits is a complicated planning challenge. I recently responded to a reader question in this...

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor Morningstar, the Chicago-based mutual fund rating firm, recently reported on the 2014 performance of various funds (“The Winners and Losers of US Equity Funds in 2014”). One of the funds listed,...

Wednesday, December 10, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor I welcome reader questions and will post responses in periodic columns. Here are some recent questions and my answers....

Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor I recently met with a gentleman, whom I will call Fred, whose situation illustrates the unique Social Security planning opportunities available around Family Benefits. Fred is 68 and remarried later in...

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor Deciding when to begin taking your Social Security retirement benefit is a very important decision for several reasons. When you start your benefit affects how much you receive insofar as there...

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor No one ever said you could live like royalty on Social Security. The program was always intended to provide a foundation for retirement but not to completely replace one’s working income....

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 | Joe Alfonso, GoLocalPDX Contributor Sociologists have a name for those who divorce after age 50—“gray divorcees”—and their numbers are on the rise in the U.S. In fact, more Americans in this age group now are...