News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Business

January 6, 2013

SOCIAL SECURITY: Financial wellness can be yours in 2013

TERRE HAUTE — January is Financial Wellness Month — a great time to think about your own financial future. It also happens to be at this time that many people make resolutions for the New Year. Why not combine the two and make your own financial wellness a resolution for 2013?

Here are our suggested resolutions for your financial wellness.

Start your financial plan with your Social Security Statement. The online statement is simple, easy to use, and provides estimates you should consider in planning for your retirement. It provides estimates for disability and survivors benefits, making the statement an important financial planning tool.

Your statement allows you to review and ensure that your earnings are accurately posted to your Social Security record. This feature is important because Social Security benefits are based on average earnings over your lifetime. If the information is incorrect, or you have earnings missing from your record, you may not receive all the benefits to which you are entitled in the future. Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/mystatement.

Work the numbers. Once you get your online statement, you can use the other free resources provided by Social Security. Use our Retirement Estimator, where you can get a personalized, instant estimate of your future retirement benefits using different retirement ages and scenarios. Visit the Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

Once you are in the know, choose to save. The earlier you begin your financial planning, the better off you will be. Social Security replaces about 40 percent of the average worker’s pre-retirement earnings. Most financial advisors say that you will need 70 percent or more of pre-retirement earnings to live comfortably. You also will need other savings, investments, pensions or retirement accounts to make sure you have enough money to live comfortably when you retire. Visit the Ballpark Estimator for tips to help you save. Visit www.choosetosave.

org/ballpark.

Do some light reading. Learn more about Social Security, the benefit programs, and what they mean to you and your family, by browsing through our online library of publications. In particular, our publication entitled “When To Start Receiving Retirement Benefits” provides helpful information regarding the things you should consider when making a decision on when to collect retirement benefits. Many of our publications also are available in audio format and other formats. Our library at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs is always open.

Help someone you love. Sometimes we get the most satisfaction out of helping someone else. If you have a grandparent, parent, relative or friend who could benefit from Social Security, share our website and the features of our online services with them. You can even help a loved one apply for Social Security benefits in as little as 15 minutes — or for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs. Whether you forward a publication or sit down to help someone apply for Social Security, the place to go is www.socialsecurity.gov.

There are a number of ways you can celebrate Financial Wellness Month, so start off the New Year by looking out for your own financial wellness at www.socialsecurity.gov.



Brian L. Hewitt is district manager at the Social Security Administration office at 222 Cherry St.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Business
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8 Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On' Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck Raw: Car Jumps Curb in NYC, Injures 8 Robot Action Connected to Human Thought Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7 Falling Cable Hurts 10 NASCAR Fans
NDN Video
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51 Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips Miami Heat Wins in Overtime Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News