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Microsoft has opened Socl, a search-meets-social website, to the public for beta testing.Microsoft opens Socl — its social-meets-search siteLaunched for testing in May, the site remains an open beta testAnyone with a Microsoft or Facebook account can access it After a long period of closed beta testing, Microsoft made the beta version of its social network, Socl, available to everyone on Tuesday.Socl initially launched this May. It’s a search-meets-social networking website that looks more like Pinterest than Facebook, and has until now been open only to invited Microsoft employees and college students.Now, everyone with a Microsoft or Facebook account can [...]

Dear Dr. Don, I took a Social Security spousal benefit on my wife’s work record at my full retirement age of 66. I still have a full-time job. I will be 70 March 23, 2013. I realize I can get no further credits past age 70. However, are there any negatives to taking my benefits at 70 in view of my intention to keep working until 75? Do I have to wait until my 70th birthday before filing in order to receive the maximum benefit, or will it be effective Jan. 1 of the year I turn 70. Thank you, [...]

Social Security has been a frequent topic of discussion recently with its future financial health in question and many future retirees are wondering if they can count on these benefits to help fund their retirement. According to Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue, Social Security is the largest source of income for most elderly Americans today. But should it be considered a retirement plan? It’s not nearly enough to live on, but the fact that you must wait until you are at least 62 to collect a monthly allotment puts it in that category. However, the benefits are intended to supplement [...]

Dear Tax Talk, My husband and I own two rental properties, and we are both involved in managing our properties by doing everything ourselves, including repairs. We have been paying taxes on our rental income for years by filing Schedule E. My primary concern is that I only have a few years’ employment that I can contribute to my Social Security and Medicare. I want to continually do so to get Social Security credits. I found out on the Internal Revenue Service website that I can do it by filing Schedule E as a qualified joint venture. However, it requires [...]

It is no surprise that as the baby boom approaches its Social Security years, it is turning the decision about when to start collecting benefits from an automatic move into a major planning and research opportunity. Having intensively looked into car seats and college admissions for their kids and tried to map out careers and 401(k) plans, boomers now will focus attention on squeezing Social Security for all it is worth. “Baby boomers are the first generation that isn’t going to put up with crappy advice,” says William Meyer, chief executive officer of Social Security Solutions Inc (), one of [...]

Without question, Social Security benefits play an important role in retirement planning. Experts often cite the three-legged stool as the foundation of a retirement plan, with the legs of the stool consisting of Social Security, employer-sponsored retirement benefits and personal savings. For many people, Social Security benefits make up a large portion of the plan. Knowing how your Social Security benefits are calculated is critical. Calculating these benefits can be complicated, but it’s certainly doable. The first step is to determine whether you are even entitled to retirement benefits in the first place. To be fully insured, you must have [...]

Dear Dr. Don, In your recent response to a question from “Karen Choices,” you said: “My recommendation for you is that, at your full retirement age of 66, you claim a spousal benefit based on your ex-husband’s work record, providing that you haven’t remarried. You’ll receive a benefit equal to 50% of what Social Security calls his ‘primary insurance amount,’ the benefit he would receive at his normal retirement age. You’ll earn delayed retirement credits on your work record while receiving the spousal benefit.” My question is: Would this be still true if the wife’s Social Security benefit would be [...]

Millennials are foregoing the traditional consumer-brand relationship, leaving brands scrambling to reclaim their influence.By embracing tech, social media, millennials are changing the retail landscape, experts sayMillennials favor shopping based on “what’s interesting to them,” Copious founder saysFrugality, loyalty to brands with social agendas characterize their habits, experts sayMillennial says she puts her own twist on popular trends: “More than anything, it’s about the look”Editor’s note: To many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, the millennial generation is a mystery. These 18- to 29-year-olds are history’s very first “always connected” generation, defined by all their phones and gadgets, and they’ve been accused [...]

Dear Dr. Don, I’m 65, retired and married. I’m not currently collecting Social Security benefits because my husband and I have considerable yearly income. I’m considering taking Social Security at my full retirement age of 66 — not to spend the money, but to save it. I will receive about $ 2,000 per month, which would be about $ 1,700 after taxes. If I saved this money every month for the four years until I reach 70, I would have more than $ 80,000 in the account. If I then died at age 70, my heirs would receive an additional [...]