A New Law Just Made IRAs and 529s a Little More Interesting

As last year’s U.S. Congressional session approached the Christmas holiday, a little known bill called the SECURE Act was once again teetering on the edge of failure. However, at the last minute it was tacked onto the year-end appropriations bill in order to keep the government funded. Just like that, a new series of financial rules and requirements impacted millions of American’s financial lives, though most don’t even know about it.

Following is a brief rundown of the SECURE Act’s 1,000+ page rule, with a focus on the areas that I feel would most likely impact you.

4 Ways to Get More from Your Social Security Benefit

I’ve written in the past about what an incredible benefit Social Security is for retirees. In a previous article, I didn’t pull any punches in calling social security “America’s most important retirement plan.”

There are a lot of reasons why. First, basic eligibility is easy to achieve for most Americans able to work. Second, it’s an income stream guaranteed by the US government. Third, it pays a benefit to spouses who haven’t worked or who have worked too little to earn their own benefit. Fourth, it increases with the cost of living over time.

While most of us are aware of the benefits of Social Security, I find that fewer people know how to get the most income from it. Here are four primary ways to get the most from your Social Security benefit.