SavvySugar

US Youth More Confident in Social Security - Are You?

LibertySugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:01:29 -0800

Thirty-six percent of young American voters are at least somewhat confident in the US Social Security system, according to a new poll. While almost two-thirds of voters 29-years-old and younger do not have much hope for the taxpayer funded retirement system, the newest numbers show a rise in confidence. Less than a month ago, only 19 percent of voters in the same demographic were at least somewhat confident.

Right now, employees pay a 6.2 percent tax on their earnings of up to $102,000, while employers pay an additional 6.2 percent. Barack Obama wants to extend the tax to earnings above $250,000, still leaving earnings from $102,000 - $250,000 untaxed. Perhaps his plan to increase the Social Security tax on higher income has some voters more confident in the system's survival. Do you think Social Security will be around in one form or another when you retire?

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Front Page: Joe the Plumber Speaks, Social Security Benefits to Rise, EU Firm on Climate Goals

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:00:42 -0700

Joe the Plumber Speaks:
After being the star of last night's debate, mentioned conservatively a dozen times, "Joe the Plumber" has come forward. His name is Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man who wants to buy a plumbing business. He had spoken with Obama in Toledo this week, and told him his tax plan would prevent him from buying the business. He said of being the example of the night, "It's pretty surreal, man, my name being mentioned in a presidential campaign." He won't say who he's voting for - if he's registered - "That's for me and a button to know."

Social Security Benefits to Rise:
Social Security benefits will go up 5.8 percent for 50 million people next year. It's the largest pay rise in more than a quarter of a century. The increase will begin in January and will mean $63 extra per month for the average retiree. The raise is double increase from January this year.

EU Firm on Climate Goals:
European Union leaders are resolved to meet their targets and timetable for addressing climate change, despite objections from some countries. Worries that given the global economic situation cutting greenhouse gas emissions will be too costly has caused some countries to threaten to block the plan. French President Sarkozy says, "The climate package is so important that we cannot simply drop it, under the pretext of a financial crisis."

250,000 Couples Will Receive Stimulus Checks

SavvySugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:30:32 -0700

When rebate checks were distributed to Americans this Summer the IRS only cut checks to citizens whose names and social security numbers matched. The IRS recently announced they would be issuing overdue checks to 250,000 couples that qualified for the stimulus but were overlooked because of mismatched names and social security numbers.

If one person decides to change their name after marriage, the change should be reported to the Social Security Administration so their social security number matches the new legal name. Some couples fail to take this step, and this time the oversight meant they missed out on stimulus checks from the government. Going forward, make sure you're accounted for appropriately by following my checklist for changing your name.

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Should the US Privatize Social Security?

LibertySugar — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:00:51 -0700

Despite crisis on Wall Street and a massive $1 trillion government bailout of private financial institutions, John McCain still has faith in partially privatized Social Security, which he unsuccessfully has voted for three times in his career. McCain believes that fixing Social Security without raising taxes requires supplementing the current system with personal accounts.

This week, McCain aides explained that McCain still supports putting a portion of Social Security in the market. But they also noted that he favors tapping only a portion of Social Security funds, and creating private accounts for younger workers to invest portions of their payroll taxes in conservative investments.

As for Obama, he plans on bringing the program back into the black by asking those making over $250,000 to contribute two to four percent (combined employer and employee contribution) more. Obama opposes privatized accounts, saying they would be a precursor to eliminating the entitlement program. What do you think is the best way to keep our promise to seniors?

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Do You Know What Is Normal Retirement Age?

SavvySugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:30:22 -0700

It may seem like a faraway reality unless you plan on retiring young, but retirement issues affect us all today because of the Social Security system in the US. The Social Security Administration has admitted that young workers won't be able to count on our less-than-minimum-wage benefits through retirement, and there's some discussion about whether or not it makes sense to raise the retirement age.

Do you know how old you must be in order to receive full Social Security benefits during retirement?

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Social Security Benefits in 2041 Below Minimum Wage Income

SavvySugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:33:49 -0700

If you haven't already been convinced that committing to retirement savings isn't really up for argument, consider these statements from the Social Security Administration. The average monthly benefit in June 2008 was $1,084.47, but in 2041 Social Security will only be able to pay 78 percent of scheduled benefits. The Motley Fool has calculated the inflation-adjusted equivalent to be $845.89 per month.

It hurts to see the Social Security payments deducted from each paycheck and know that we won't be receiving much back, but at least we have some warning. There's still plenty of time to get going on saving for retirement so that you can live comfortably in your golden years.

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Caring About Social Security, Not Wasted on the Young

LibertySugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:00:03 -0700

Think you don't have to worry about Social Security until you have one of those license plate thingies that says, "My Other Car Is a Golf Cart?" Not so according to Students For Saving Social Security. They're on a mission to make young people care about retirement, or at least their paychecks. Although nonpartisan, the grassroots group of college students, advocates a typically conservative solution - private ownership of Social Security accounts.

The "S4" website explains: "our very first paychecks will be taxed from a system that cannot fulfill its promises to us." These students believe it is unacceptable that politicians ignore the opinions and welfare of young Americans when discussing Social Security reform. To see what the recommend, read more.

The students want the government to give young people ownership of their money, by allowing Americans to decide for themselves how to invest their Social Security funds. But, what if they invest poorly? Will they be out of luck with no retirement funds? Perhaps the next generation of Americans will be out of luck anyways, as the system is headed for bankruptcy.

Today, the government's yearly assessment of Social Security determined that resources will be depleted by 2041 and that the Medicare trust fund, which pays for hospital benefits, will be empty by 2019. Do you have any expectation of receiving Social Security income when you retire?

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Betty Wayne: Voulez-Vous a Civil Union?

Tres Community — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:00:01 -0800

User Betty Wayne posted this story in the France Group in our TrèsSugar Community.

I just learned this and wanted to share: gay marriage is almost-sort-of legal in France! A Pact Civil de Solidarité (or PaCS) is a civil union between two people of any sex who wish to combine their debts, contracts, and assets. A PaCS is not available between: family members, those who are already married or PaCSed, nonresidents of France and those under 18.

Couples can file taxes jointly after three years, may collect inheritance and social security benefits, can share health benefits, and must share a common residence. Partners can not jointly file for adoption, however one partner can file for single-parent adoption. A nonresident can not gain residency through a PaCS, only though marriage. A PaCS ends when one partner dies, or after a three month waiting period if one partner requests it. A PaCS also ends if one partner gets married.

I searched around but I couldn't find any information on whether or not one partner is allowed to make power-of-attorney decisions should the other partner become unable to make those decisions for herself . . . if anyone knows please let me know. I'm also not sure if one partner shares the burden of all the other partner's past debts, or if couples only share debts incurred while PaCSed.

In French, "pacser" has become a verb, as in "Voulez-vous pacser avec moi?" or "Les femmes se pacsent." Un Pacte de Civil Solidarité is not equal to marriage, but it's an important step toward equality. If only the US would do the same.

Check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community. Maybe we'll feature your content on TrèsSugar!

How-To: Not Get Hacked by Twitter Phishing Attacks

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:30:17 -0800

Twitter was hit with another phishing attack this week. Just last night in fact, I got this message in my Twitter DM inbox. It's from a person I know, so I clicked on the link only to be brought to a Twitter-like login screen. I knew I was already logged in so I quickly clicked away and notified my friend that she had been hacked. Earlier this week Twitter was hit with a similar phishing scam, which after gaining your login deets, sent out mass messages about herbal Viagra. I'm sure your friends would have loved that!

If I had actually "logged in" again, my Twitter account would have been taken over by hackers (most likely hacking "bots"), then used to send out the same message to all of my followers. Spam messages could then be sent out in epic proportions. Don't get scammed by these (or any) hackers! Find out how to keep your accounts safe on Twitter, and on any other website, with a few easy tips when you read more.

Don't be fooled by fake login screens: If you're already signed in to Twitter (or any other social networking site), you won't be asked to sign in again unless you've logged out. Even if the screen looks like the normal login, it probably isn't.
Don't be fooled by emails: I've been asked to reply to my "banking institution" with my account login information before. The email is formatted to look legit, but if you check the sender's address, most likely it's from a third-party account like Gmail, Yahoo, or MSN. Be diligent and never reply to emails with your bank logins or passwords and always check where they are coming from first! When in doubt, call instead.
Reset your passwords often: Too often, people have some pretty lame passwords, which allow their accounts to get hacked even without a phishing scam. Make sure your passwords are tough to guess, and try to change them every few months.
Get some password help: There are sites out there that can help you choose a hacker-proof password, but just don't go writing it down in an easy-to-find place soon after you settle on one!
Never forget your password again: You can use a device like Roboform to store your passwords digitally, then all you have to do is insert it into your computer's USB port for access. Just keep that sucker under lock and key!
Scammers aren't afraid to call you: As if I need to tell you this, but giving away your passwords, login information, or social security number to a call that was unsolicited by you (meaning they called you, not the other way around) is asking for trouble. If you are asked to give your info out to a person who contacted you, get their name and/or employee ID number and call them back through the main 1-800 line, just to be safe.

Geek Tip: Stave Off Social Identity Theft With KnowEm

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:50:55 -0700

Needless to say, I have a ton of active social networking accounts out there. Sometimes I even forget which ones I belong to! So when I discovered KnowEm, I was relived to be able to check a plethora of social networking sites for my user name, not only to remind me which sites I have an account with but to also make sure someone isn't going around stealing my moniker or worse - my identity.

KnowEm makes it easy to stay on top of user name squatters and identity stealers and is a quick way to jog your memory about which sites you belong to so you can delete, cancel, or bookmark those for future use. I sometimes get weirded out about how many open accounts I've forgotten about which are ripe for a hacker's picking, so keeping tabs on your online accounts is a good idea for all.