Money

I just wanted to let everyone know of a  Brand New Scam that hit my cell phone today! Its a new spin on the old "renewal notice of McAfee for $522.00"Now I have not used McAfee for decades so I know the email and text scams come every month. THIS WAS DIFFERENT!I got a CALENDAR notification at 7:01 tonight that was on today's Calendar notifications. When I opened the notice, (if you have this just delete it right away) to read what it said. It was the usual EMAIL scam that has been going around forever, but in a CALENDAR notice! Now I have been using the Google Calendar for years now to keep track of all my appointments but NEVER have I had a notice I did not put in myself! The fact that this happened means I probably need an upgraded phone.I tell you all that to tell you this, DELETE THIS MESSAGE AND DO NOT OPEN IT! I right away called my bank to let them know of the scam, Called mom to let her know, then made this thread.Hope this helps everyoneThanks, Brian

Stay away from these profiles, they're crypto scammers. Do not invest or seek for their help to recover your money, because you'll end up losing your money and IDs. Please report any related issue to the support team.https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930240 ChrisW327344https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930299 GavinW480704https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930296 MichealW932026 Tag any scammer under the comment/reply section. 

I can follow through with either of the 2 scenarios, just trying to figure out which is best, as I cannot find an exact answer on the SS site.I am 67 1/2, past my full retirement age, I will be working for at least 1 more year earning SS wages. If I do not claim my SS for another year, is it correct to say that it will increase by 8%, plus whatever extra I make on my SS wages.The other scenario is if I claim my SS now, and still work at my full time job for another year. After a year, my SS will only adjust for the SS wages i put in for the year.So, does that mean the only difference will be the 8% that the SS department adds for not claiming a year?Thanks.

As the pandemic continues, emotions may be running high. AARP financial expert JeanChatzky explains how making emotional financial decisions can cause more harm than good – and shares tips for how to avoid them. Do you have tips of your own to share?

My June 2026 UHC Supplement Plan N just went up 20.2% after a similar increase last year. Would somebody please tell me how AARP actually helps me in my senior years? If I was with Mutual of Omaha I'd pay $100 less for the same coverage. What good is the AARP affiliation? Not happy.

  I just applied for my for my age 70 benefit. Starting in February. This should be the ultimate stress test! After the nightmare of Army Benefit Center totally butchering my High 3 calculation, and then failing to send my retirement package to OPM & DFAS for several months- what could go wrong???Wish me luck! 

FROM THE ARTICLE. 8 Numbers That Tell the Story of Social Security.How more than 69 million Americans came to rely on the program — and why it’s now in trouble. By Andy Markowitz, AARP. Reviewed by Joel Eskovitz, AARP. Published August 06, 2025. Social Security has always been about numbers, ever since it was established 90 years ago this month by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signature on a historic act of Congress.You work 10 years, earn 40 Social Security credits, and you are eligible for benefits when you retire. A complex mathematical formula determines how much you’ll get each month. A 12.4 payroll tax on almost all U.S. workers’ income provides the funding that keeps benefits flowing to (as of June 2025) more than 69 million Americans. A unique nine-digit code assigned to each of us keeps it all straight. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/social-security/ssa-by-the-numbers/

 Beware - I recently signed up for AARPs driver safety course, paying with my credit card.  Right after receiving an email receipt of payment from AARP I immediately received two emails from Link saying my Link digital wallet was ready for use.  One email contained the following: What's Link?  A safe way to pay faster at AARPDriverSafety and everywhere Link is accepted.   I reach out to customer service for this course and was told Link was a legitimate third party partner of AARP.  They noted:  I am happy to clarify the $5 promotion on our course checkout page.  By purchasing our course using your bank account instead of a credit/debit card, you are opting into using the third-party app, Link. They are the ones who provide a rebate of $5, it is not a discounted amount off.None of this is true as I paid for this course using my credit card and the March discount I found online did not mention Link.  My email back to custo

As an oncology RN, I see how much kids do to help their parents as they age. I also see how much my sister has done for my mother. Kids are no guarantee, but they can be a great source of support and a safety net.Concerned about being able to care for myself due to physical and possible cognitive changes. Also concerned about protecting my money who might identify as someone w/o family to watch over things or about someone trying to become my guardian.

 

Anyone encounter this question? We're getting mixed answers from various sources. My 63-year-old partner (we're not married) could start receiving SS on her ex-husband's SS. It would be a reduced amount because she is not at her full retirement age. Is she then "locked" into that reduced percentage the rest of her life because she started early, before her own full retirement age? What if in 5 years she and I get married and she starts claiming on my SS......would it be reduced percentage because she started her claim at 63? Thanks!

My daughter in law says she heard that Social security is going to cut our checks by 70% this year and that Trump is going to cancel it with in a couple of years. I want to know if this is a possibility or not. I can't live with out my check. Please let me know if this is true.Thank you Sharonsharonstartrek@aol.com

FROM THE ARTICLE. 8 Costly Tax Mistakes Retirees Make. Find out how to avoid these pitfalls. By Martha C. White, AARP. Published February 03, 2026. Retirement might free you from the grind of working daily, but when it comes to preparing your tax return, a little extra legwork can prevent you from making some expensive errors. This year in particular, retirees — and taxpayers 65 and older who are still in the workforce — have a slew of new rules, deductions and changes to keep in mind.Here are eight costly mistakes tax pros say you should avoid and their recommendations for what to do instead. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/avoid-costly-tax-mistakes/

FROM THE ARTICLE: We’ve endorsed federal legislation that addresses the financial vulnerability of women retirees. By Emily Paulin & Natalie Missakian, AARP. Published March 18, 2025. Women often earn less money than men throughout their careers and are more likely to leave the workforce to take on family caregiving responsibilities. That may leave them in a precarious position as they approach retirement.That’s why AARP is backing federal legislation that would improve financial security for older American women and provide resources to help them be independent in retirement. USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2025/protect-womens-retirement-savings.html

There is a wide and growing, gap between those who have in the world, and those who don't.  Not only is the gap growing but so is the un-willingness to address it in any meaningful way that gets toward actual resolution of the problems at hand and/or, especially, its root causes, which are many, by those who have.  The 2014 economic conference at Davos, Switzerland was supposedly focused on issues of the widening gap between the rich and poor and how to work toward alleviating it.   Almost no time was devoted to this.  Hmmmmm. In the US are many new retirees who are stuck at  minimum Social Security benefits forever, due to having to start their payments early at 62 in order to have ANY income at all.  These decisions are not made of freedom but of necessity - decisions made under duress.  With no other income, the arithmetic does not work out at all for living.  This is existence, not living!  If one is forced to do file early and

FROM THE ARTICLE. House Passes Bill to Boost Social Security’s Customer Service Budget. Measure headed to Senate also calls on agency to avoid closing field offices. By Deirdre Shesgreen, AARP. Published January 23, 2026. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a major spending bill on Jan. 22 that would give the Social Security Administration (SSA) an additional $50 million for customer service for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which runs through Sept. 30. The bill now heads to the Senate. It must be approved by both houses of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump by Jan. 30 to avert another government shutdown. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/social-security/customer-service-budget-bill/

My spouse recently died at age 72. I’m 75, but receive a lower SS benefit than her because I retired early to take care of her. Am I entitled to receive any of her SS benefits in addition to my own? If yes, what percentage, and how do I apply for these benefits? (The month of her death, January, 2026, SS placed her regular benefit amount in our checking account as it normally does, but then withdrew the full amount one day later). Thank you for your help!  

▶️‌To reply, click on reply button at bottom of this post. Enter your text. Click reply button again.◀️ ***READ the comments and/or ADD a comment*** Here are 10 affordable places to retire on the water: (1) Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. (2)Miami. (3)Tampa, Florida. (4)Virginia Beach, Virginia. (5)Jacksonville, Florida. (6)Orlando, Florida. (7)Melbourne, Florida. (8)Chicago. (9)Cape Coral, Florida. (10)Sarasota, Florida. 🗣By Rachel Hartman and Emily Brandon. Reviewed by Katy Marquardt. March 28, 2023. 👉Link to online information 

Hi - I've been working at the same university for 40 years and am in the process of trying to figure out when to retire.  However, our representative in the Benefits Office seems confused about details of the pension and retirement accounts for longer-service employees.  Many of us were grandfathered in to maintain our original pension benefits, but few people in that office have been around very long.  This has led to multiple cases of people receiving incorrect information, but the university won't address this issue.  What can we do to get accurate information?

Regarding the article in the AARP Bulletin in the January / February edition: "WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ANNUITIES, They promise income ... at a price" by Karen Hube my comment is as follows: The biggest issue is only tangentially mentioned.  The conclusion of most annuities is the surrender of your money / investment when you die.  If you outlive your actuarial age, then you have nothing to lose, and would have profited from receiving more than your investment, at the expense of those who die earlier than their actuarial age which IS mentioned in the article. But the comparison that is not mentioned is that you could conceivably, ON YOUR OWN or through a financial advisor, make investments that could mimic annuity returns.  The difference is that your own investment stays with your estate when your die.  If you have no heirs and don't care about family or generational estate planning then this is fine.  However, if you do care about fam

Many people look to annuities to help with having a guaranteed income when they don't have pensions (which would be most boomers). With annuities you give a lump sum to a company (this is actually in many respects insurance). They give you a monthly benefit for the terms of the agreement, sometimes only the first 5 or 10 years is a guaranteed rate that is high and after that the guaranteed rate is pretty low (although what you can get can be higher based on how they invested your money). Pay attention to this kind of fine print. If the company that has your annuity money goes bankrupt the amount of protection you have varies depending on where your money is. If the company makes risky investments and loses money you may find your annuity payments at risk.Here are some issues:  1) Inflation - one rule of thumb is that costs double every 11 years. Will your annuity be inflation adjusted? And yes you pay more for that. 2) Where exactly is your money? The grow

 Hello,My goal is to in April next year to semi-retire, mainly stop working for my current company. I want to take the 401K and my Rollover IRA and pull the money out and pay taxes upfront, and then move the contents of both into what will be then a tax free account. Maybe create a new whatever type of account that allows me to pull out money tax-free. I know a high-yield Savings account where the money there has already had the taxes paid would work but 4% on a high-yield savings doesn't compare to a 10% stocks account of sorts. So I think it is better to create a new account for investing. What be the best route for my goal?

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! How to Save Like a 401(k) Millionaire. More Americans than ever have seven-figure nest eggs; this blueprint can help build yours. By Tamara E. Holmes, AARP. Published July 22, 2024. Who wants to be a 401(k) millionaire? Most of us, probably. And those who make it are growing in number. Fidelity Investments, one of the biggest retirement plan providers, reported a record 485,000 seven-figure accounts among its 401(k) plan holders in the first quarter of 2024, a 43 percent increase from a year earlier. https://www.aarp.org/retirement/planning-for-retirement/info-2024/401k-millionaire-saving-tips.html

FROM THE ARTICLE: 5 Steps for Couples to Make a Staggered Retirement Work.Spouses who don’t leave the workforce together often face financial and emotional challenges. By Diane Harris, AARP. Published April 08, 2025. It's a common dream of togetherness for older spouses: Nearly two-thirds of still-working couples expect to retire at the same time or within a year of each other, according to an April 2024 report from Ameriprise Financial.But those expectations rarely meet reality. The Ameriprise survey found that only 11 percent of retired couples leave their careers simultaneously, and 62 percent retire more than a year apart. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/married-couple-split-retirement/

 I'm trying to find out how people who have used Trust&Will to set up a Trust like it.  Would you recommend it?  Any downsides?  Anything you would do differently?