Retirement benefits

The number of credits you need to get retirement benefits depends on when you were born. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need 40 credits (10 years of work) ...

Compliance assistance information about retirement benefits. ... Most private sector pension plans are covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ...

Maryland State Retirement and Pension System website ... The State Retirement and Pension System administers death, disability and retirement benefits on behalf of ...

IRS Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits ... 1 railroad retirement benefits and special guaranty benefits shown on ...

Frequently Asked Questions about Retirement Benefits. Answers to frequently asked ... How do I plan to provide benefits to my survivors after my death? ...

Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress. Updated February 9, 2007 ... Retirement System Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-335). Members of Congress first elected in 1984 or ...

The Retirement Benefits Calculator is designed to project retirement benefits for most of our members. ... Calculate your formula retirement benefit accurately if you terminated ...

My father, 51, had been an hourly worker in a machine shop of for 21 years and four months. On a Christmas holiday, he suffered a severe heart attack and was hospitalized for three weeks. At his release, his doctor said he was to rest at home for a couple of months. After his recuperation period, his doctor, along with his company’s physicians, was to decide whether or not my father should retired for disability reasons. They never got the opportunity to make this decision; in February, my father died of a second heart attack. He left my mother, four sons, two daughters and two-daughters in-law. His wife, my mother, still had four children at home. As part of my father's estate, my mother received the normal group insurance payments, the balance of his savings plan account, and the other benefits due her. However, my mother did not receive a pension from the company as a survivor of an eligible employee. When my mother and the company representatives had discussed the settlement, my mother had inquired about my father's pension and about my mother's right to receive it. The human resource department had stated that since contributions to this fund were made only by the company, no survivor’s benefits were provided. 1.What do you think my mother should do at this point? 2.What does the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 have to say about this issue?

I worked in NYC as stated above. The co. was dismantled. Their headquarters also at 195 Broadway. I would like to apply for my retirement benefits and cannot reach the correct # or person. I have searched extensively. Please help. Thank you.

I heard that a person can retire and receive early social security before the average age of retirement if he's contributed twenty somewhat years. Does anyone know the details?

Individual Tax Cuts: 1. "Making Work Pay" Tax Credit (Sec. 1001, Page 195). In tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay provision will provide a refundable tax credit of 6.2 percent of earned income up to $400 for individuals and up to $800 for married taxpayers filing joint returns. 2. Increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit (Sec. 1002, Page 198). Go to the stimulus bill for all the details, but it essentially expands this benefit for the working poor. 3. Increased Eligibility for the Refundable Portion of Child Credit (Sec. 1003, Page 199). In 2009 and 2010, families who don’t earn enough to pay income tax would be eligible to claim the $1,000 child credit. 4. "American Opportunity" Education Tax Credit (Sec. 1004, Page 199). Increases the Hope Scholarship Credit to $2,500. 5. Refundable First-time Home Buyer Credit. (Sec. 1006, Page 202). This extended and increased the first-time home buyer tax credit from $7,500 to $8,000. 6. Temporary Suspension of Taxation of Unemployment Benefits (Sec. 1007, Page 203). This exempts from taxable gross income the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits. 7. Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Improvements to Existing Homes (Sec. 1121, Page 208). This provides up to a $1,500 tax credit for qualified energy efficiency improvements. 8. Sales Tax Deduction for Vehicle Purchases (Sec. 1008, Page 203). This allows people to write off state and local sales taxes related to the purchase of a new vehicle costing up to $49,500. 9. Premium Credits for COBRA Continuation Coverage for Unemployed Workers (Sec. 6432, Page 348) 10. Economic Recovery Credits to Recipients of Social Security, SSI, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits (Sec. 2201, Page 336). This was a $250 payment for senior citizens, disabled veterans and disabled people living on Social Security benefits. 11. Computers as Qualified Education Expenses in 529 Education Plans (Sec. 1005, Page 202). This allows college students to write off the expense of computers and software, provided it's for educational purpose and not for games. 12. Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Credit (Sec. 1141, Page 212). Allows purchasers of plug-in electric vehicles to write off up to $5,000 of their purchase (depending on the power of the battery). 13. Tax Parity for Transit Benefits (sec. 1151, Page 219). This relates to an increased exclusion amount for commuter transit benefits and transit passes. 14. Health Coverage Tax Credit Expansion (Sec. 1899, Page 309). Small Business Tax Cuts: 1. Extension of Enhanced Small Business Expensing (Sec. 1202, Page 221). This is a temporary increase in limitations on expensing some depreciable business assets. 2. 5-Year Carryback of Net Operating Losses for Small Businesses (Sec. 1211, Page 221). 3. Extension of Bonus Depreciation (Sec. 1201, Page 220). This extends by a year election to accelerate the AMT and Research Credits in lieu of bonus depreciation. 4. Exclusion of 75% of Small Business Capital Gains from Taxes (Sec. 1241, Page 228). 5. Temporary Small Business Estimated Tax Payment Relief (Sec. 1212, Page 222). 6. Temporary Reduction of S Corporation Built-In Gains Holding Period from 10 Years to 7 Years (Sec. 1251, Page 228). Other Business Tax Cuts: 1. Advanced Energy Investment Credit (Sec. 1302, Page 231). This relates to properties designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as those that produce energy from the sun, wind, geothermal deposits, fuel cells, microturbines, or an energy storage system for use with electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. 2. Tax Credits for Alternative Refueling Property (Sec. 1123, Page 211). This is a temporary increase for alternative fuel vehicle refueling businesses. 3. Work Opportunity Tax Credits for Hiring Unemployed Veterans and Disconnected Youth (Sec. 1221, Page 223). This is a tax credit to provide incentive to businesses to hire unemployed veterans and "disconnected youth." That latter term is defined, in part, as young adults "not readily employable by reason of lacking a sufficient number of basic skills." 4. Delayed Recognition of Certain Cancellation of Debt Income (Sec. 1231, Page 224). 5. Election to Accelerate Recognition of Historic AMT/R&D Credits (Sec. 1201, Page 220). From the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to fact check me if you want to. to answer your question Ice T

I work in telecom in Texas, and my current employer has occasional "early retirement packages" where I can get a lump sum payment and uncontested applications for unemployment benefits if I voluntarily terminate my employment (like say, if my position is moving to an office out of state, etc). I am pretty sure you can't apply for goverment student loans while receiving unemployment checks, but would it be possible to pay out of pocket for community college or re-training while I am on unemployment? I thought I remembered a law against this the last time I was laid off (mid 90s). Thanks for any info.

and to Congress? Shouldn't we force them to go and get a job like the rest of us? Or at the very least, take a dollar for dollar reduction for any income they do make? http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/98-249.pdf

And how is this effecting Obama's decision making? Excerpts: Unions have been the fiercest proponents of the Obamacare have been the Unions. Andy Stern, head of the SEIU has been to the White House more than any other visitor. Some commentators have reported that's Stern's constant trips to the White House is due to his participation in reviewing the basic components of the health care bills as they are developed by the houses of congress. Why is this particular legislation so important to the unions? Because the unions pensions plans are woefully underfunded. The hope is once Obamacare is passed union workers will eventually be shoved over to the co-ops (or an eventual government option), freeing up union cash to help with the pension program. As of this very moment the administration is working on a plan to give preference to Union Shops for ALL federal contracts. The proposal, dubbed the “High Road Contracting Policy,” was first reported by The Daily Caller in early February. According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, the proposal would give preference to government contractors that pay their hourly workers a “living wage” and provide additional benefits such as health insurance, employer-funded retirement plans and paid sick leave. In other words, they will be "cutting out" the non-union shops and raising the price of jobs, and increasing the federal deficit. In your opinion, is Obama being used as a catalyst to cover up for the union bosses and their poor judgment and are we as tax payers going to get stuck picking up the tab? Here is the article along with a list of 108 union plans that aren't looking too hot: http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-coming-union-pension-plan-collapse.html

who are on Social Security. How did we get to be so called criminals in the first place? To all the young people out there footing the bill for Social Security. Lets put the blame where it is due. Q.Who introduced Social Security in the first place. A, Franklin Roosevelt (FICA). A democrat . He promised participation would be completely voluntary. ( of course you couldn't get retirement benefits, if you did not participate) . No Longer Voluntary. participants only would pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes. Now we pay 7.65% and employee pays same amount. that the money participants elected to put into program would be deductible from their income each year. No longer tax deductible. the money that participants put in would go into Independent trust fund and not into the general trust fund and would only be used for Social Security retirement program and no other government program. until Johnson ( Democrat ) . Money was moved into General Fund and spent. That the annuity funds would never be taxed as income. Under Clinton and Gore (Democrats). Up to 85 % can be taxed. Can you answer the following: Which party started taxing Social Security annuities A. The Democratic party with Al Gore casting the tie breaking vote as President of the Senate, while he was vice president. Q.Which party started to give annuity payments to immigrants A .Jimmy Carter and the Democratic party.they can collect , even if they never paid in a dime to it. Then after violating all the contracts dealing with social security , the Democrats tell you that republicans want to take away your Social Security. and the uninformed BELIEVE IT! Maybe if enough people know the truth , things will change. or maybe not , some Democrats are awfully sure of what isn't so. When Social Security was started, all money was to be invested to draw interest, and that money was suppose to be reinvested etc. and all kept in Social Security fund that way all the money I put in would be there when I retired, and make up for inflation. That way all money put in today would be going to the people who are putting their money in now. Social Security would never go broke and it would pay forever. If the plan was voluntary the only people able to collect would be the people that put their money in , in the first place. I feel sorry for the young people of today , they have every reason to be angry. They will pay in , but will they be able to collect? Please don be angry at the Seniors as they were used just as you are now.

Social security has failed. They recently instilled that anyone born 1960 and on cannot apply for FULL retirement benefits until age 67- a full 2 years later then those born before 1960. In essence they have cut the benefits of a large group of American's in an effort to save the program. The reason? They hope more American's will die off before collecting. Does anyone in their right mind think ObamaCare will be any different in a few years from now? The only difference is- when you need that heart transplant- you CAN'T wait 2 extra years! Dave Carrington- a contract is a contract. When the terms are broken it is reprehensible. When they raise the retirement age for you to 75, will you be ok with that?

this begs the question and answer: If they do choose to run again and lose, do they still receive all of their retirement benefits??

My parents are both retired military so i know first hand all the awesome benefits you can receive through making the military your career. my question is i might be joining the reserves soon (that way i can continue college and be in the military as well) then after college i was thinking of switching to active duty. welli know you need 20 years to retire and i was wondering if your reserve service goes towards retirement or if it is just Active Duty

Do I have to report this?

I'm 19 years old presently pursuing an engineering degree. I know I am young but the earlier I start, the more I can make in the end. From what I've learned, the traditional IRA would be better for me because contributions are tax deductible, and I would think that that's a definite benefit for a student working part-time. Also, as I expect to fall into a higher tax bracket at my retirement, I should switch over to a Roth at some point. That point, I figure, would be around when I am going to graduate school. Traditional IRAs allow for early withdrawals if they are for the purpose of higher education, so after I finish grad school, with the help of my IRA contributions to date, I can then switch to a Roth IRA. Is there anything wrong with this plan, or a better way to go about it? Do traditional IRAs require a minimum 'seasoning period' before even early withdrawals can be made? Is there a minimum age, Adjusted Gross Income or annual contribution to even qualify for an IRA?

Hello, My dad wants to retire. he is 67 hears old. but he doesn't his full 40 credits. Can he still apply for retirement benefits? He also want to work but not like full time? can he work with his retirement benefit? We live in Texas just for the info.

I was maried for 17 years in N.J. but only worked 5 years. I am divorced since 2001. Will I be entitled to any of my ex-husband social security benefits when I reach retirement?

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes? If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip? If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had stated that there were 57 states in the United States , would you have said that he is clueless. If George W. Bush would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in Texas , would you have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical idiot. If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Quattro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment? If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite? If George W. Bush's administration had okay-ed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11? If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans , would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence? If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America , would you have approved? If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved? If George W Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved? So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Command of the language? Corpseman? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in a year-- so you'll have three years to come up with an answer.

Asalaamu alykum wa ramatollhi wa barakatuhu, "Come work for Islam. The work is hard, the hours are long, and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world." [Unknown] haha..just saw that on Facebook...like it? Q: lets name one thing we're thankful for? ahhh ..HARD QUESTION..how can we name just one.. we truly cant count our blessings... i guess #1 on the list is thank Allah for ISLAM, and our DEEN and this GIFT, Alhamdulillah, Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar what else? & lets try no repeats...each brother or sister, try to think of something different :)

I live in Florida and am collecting unemployment insurance benefits. I understand the state of Florida does not deduct dollars for collecting Social Security Benefits at the same time. Is this also true for employee contributed to only union pensions.

or is is over for the millions of America on unemployment? I thought it was a ploy by the rest of Congress who paid off this one guy who is not running again for office-to vote against it. Those high and rich, powerful men could have gotten the votes, if they really wanted to. All of Congress is to blame. Millions will starve in America and the gov't who takes the money we make in high taxes could care less. We become the burden , the refuse and trash of America. Yet, we pay their salaries and retirements and their healthcare. So, what happens now? thank you for your answers.

I know this single dad who was is the army for 18 years. He was asked to go to the gulf war and put his 3 kids into foster care or with their dying grandfather. He refused to do this to his children, so the army asked him to leave. and he did. They also refused to put him on the reserve. He is the most amazing father I know. He currently struggles so badly financially and only receives VA benefits. From my understanding if he was in the Army 20 years he would receive full retirement benefits. Is there any sort of appeals system i could try to fight his case and get him better benefits? This story makes me so sad. He made such a huge sacrifice for his children.

I have heard and read a lot about such places as Panama, Ecuador, and Mexico, but I am having a hard time deciding which one is best suited towards my personal criteria. Below, I have listed my criteria and value weighted each one from one to ten with one being not important and 10 being VERY important. 1) Weather-hot (at least 80 every day)-minimal to moderate rain- 10 pts. 2) Health Care-cheap and reliable-10 pts. 3) Real Estate-affordable, preferrably cheap-8 pts. 4) Crime-the lower the better-8 pts. 5) Close to the beach-should be within a one hour drive-8pts 6) Infrastructure-7 pts. 7) Close to a major city-in or near a big city preferrable-7 pts. 8) In a community setting. Would love to mingle-6 pts. 9) Language- English or Spanish. Will consider French or Portuguese if conditions right-6 pts. 10) Special benefits for retirees-4 pts. 11) Proximity to the U.S.-would be nice, but not a must-4 pts. No matter what we decide, we plan on visiting first for at least 2 weeks, and renting for at least 6 months before making any permanent decisions.

My sons father was absent for all of his younger years. We left when he was three years old, and his father did not contact him until he was 21 this previous year. Unfortunately he contacted him while he was very ill, and passed away just five months after their first interaction. He had promised me to pay back child support that he had never paid. (Actually he paid the sum total of $311.41 out of something like $100,000 that is now owed me). My son is having a very difficult time as anyone would, and I decided that it would be appropriate if he would be able to receive at least a portion of the amount of child support owed to me. I have contacted Child Support Services only to find out that they had closed my sons case when he was 14 because they could not find his father, although 8 months before it was closed they had sent me a letter stating he had been found and a check... they will not open up the case, and told me to speak with social security... social security, however, told me that I needed to go through CSS since there was no case that was even open for child support against him... CSS will not even give me the fathers s.s. # to get anywhere, and I am at a loss of what to do... I know his father had a very good job in Florida and had a 401k, and some form of retirement plan. He also paid into social security his whole life, and I'm wondering where the heck all this money is going to go that he can never collect, and why it is impossible to give my son some of the justice that he deserves. Can anyone help me? PLEASE

I keep hearing many conservatives and republicans calling Obama's healthcare a socialist reform. But many of these same people are very passionate about their social security and medicare benefits. Are those not socialist reforms themselves? Why should my tax dollars go to some retired guy who should've saved up money himself for his own retirement? I thought thats what all you conservatives always stress, that we have to look out for ourselves and not have to depend on our country to take care of us. Maybe YOU guys are the socialists. okay first 4 people are clearly incompetent. please read the details before you answer. thank you

I have worked here for 15 years and have contributed to ss. I am 10 years from retirement age, When the time comes can I apply and receive my social security benefits?

Why was the U.S. taxpayer forced to bail this company exactly?? http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100226/bs_nm/us_aig;_ylt=AuXdNENlWndZXLP40MPDYrKOe8UF;_ylu=X3oDMTJycDM1ZHVzBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwMjI2L3VzX2FpZwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNhaWdwb3N0czg5Ymk- NEW YORK (Reuters) – American International Group Inc (AIG.N) reported a quarterly loss of $8.9 billion, hurt by loss reserves and efforts to repay the U.S. government, as it struggles to find its feet more than a year after its $182.3 billion rescue. AIG's general insurance unit, Chartis, and domestic life insurance and retirement services, SunAmerica Financial Group, showed improvement. But the market remained skeptical, and AIG shares fell 7.9 percent to $25.33 in Friday midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. "It could have been a better result," said Bill Bergman, a senior analyst at Morningstar. "We have seen improvement in housing finance and credit markets in ways that AIG might have benefited to a greater extent than what we saw today." sadcat............That would be the same "too big to fail" doctrine the Obama WH still supports?? middle..........I hadn't seen that (the Addendum at least). Thanks for the link.

There is no such thing as "entitlement". The program was designed to keep our retiring elders FROM STARVING. Thats all. and so.... Why do we pay benefits to the wealthy? Why is there a cap at @ $90,000 on income taxed for FICA? The program is worthy of full participation by all Americans no matter what their income level is. But it is not intended to "supplement" retirement income. Its just supposed to keep our elders from retiring into poverty.

This year I decided to use an 'approved' third party site accessed thru www.irs.gov. After filling in ALL the following info: 1. One full time job during 2009 (Form W-2) 2. Got fired from above job and cashed out my 401K ( Form 1099-R ) 3. Cashed out a savings acct from above employers retirement plan (another 1099-R) 4. Whilst looking for job got unemployment benefits (Form 1099-G) 5. Towards end of 2009 hooked up with shady temp agency (Form W-2) 6. Proof of payments made to Roth IRA totalling a whopping $650 from 2008 through April 15th 2009 (Form 5498) After entering all that info into esmarttax it comes back and says "REJECTED DUE TO INCORRECT AGI" So I called the IRS and the automated system gives me the 5 digit PIN which is basically my AGI but without the comma. I enter it again and still.....Rejected. I've typed it in, copied and pasted the numerical text over. Still rejected. So now, since my tax return hasn't officially been filed...Do I just leave the info on esmarttax.com's website and go to another site or just do my own damn taxes?

Ok, sometime in April 2009 we saw reduction in our fed deduction that increases our take home amount, so far so good. Now while e-filing fed tax for 2009, the software added $800 (max for joint filer) to making-work-pay-credit. Our combined income is below $40,000 and none of them are going to be claimed as dependent of others. No social security allowance, No retirement credit etc. etc. Moreover the IRS statement in this regard is- “Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year.” Source www.irs.gov/ updated 2009 . Since we did get at least some of the credit that even my employer couldn't clarify. It isn’t clear to me whether I should take off something from the $800 before filing (don't know how to do it though). I went to HR block they confused me more. Last year stimulus was darn easy. I am afraid of double dipping. Please help

I'm a social worker and I have a client who is 72 and receiving SSI since 1992. She gets Medicaid but the medical services available are under Medicaid are very difficult to use as there are very limited providers in our area of florida. She went to the SS office and was told she did not work enough to get any benefit. She says she worked for 20+ years but that she worked for an employer who did not have to pay into social security because they had their own retirement plan, but she could never use their plan since she was disabled before her retirement age. She is divorced but was only married for 9.5 years and SS says she cannot pull benefits from her ex husband. Can't she get Medicare since she has been disabled for more than 2 years? and over the age of 65? I have other clients who have immigrated over to the US and never worked here but were able to get Medicare after 5 years from their child/husband. Why can't this lady get Medicare too? Please no comments about politics and or 'no one should ever collect benefits' crap. I'm trying to help someone here. She only gets the $674 in SSi no SSA, SSDI or combination of the two. Jd, No where did I say she worked under the table. Your answer is both a total waste of time and incorrect. Also, this is no opinion forum. No one asked what you think of who should get benefits, only facts. Isn't there a way for her to buy into Medicare for those who don't work enough credits?

Bear with me, this is a bit lengthy. I am female, nearly 40 with family, especially 76 year old father coaxing me to pursue a college degree to land "secure employment" with benefits. Let me shed a little light with regards to my particular situation. I reluctantly graduated high school in '88 *wishing I'd repeated that year citing personal reasons* and, with the persistence of both my parents, began that fall in community college, randomly choosing a major to 1) get my parents off of my back and 2) declare a major just for the sake of declaring a major. My grandfather put away money since the time I was a baby in the stock market for my college, but I used it to fulfill transportation, living expenses and a trade school instead *I had always wanted to be a barber -- since the age of five* This, not surprisingly, was an unacceptable aspiration and, several years later, continued to be coaxed to finish a four-year-degree. This time, not only by my grandfather, but also my father and my younger brother and his wife. To make an insanely long story short, I spent those 20+ years traveling, barbering *for 15 years total*, working in various administrative positions in various industries and had a blast, along the way, doing so. There's one drawback: I have an extremely tiny retirement *my fault*, no benefits other than health insurance through my ex *not that I consider THAT a benefit -- more so a necessity* and some of the best income produced of any field I worked in in the barbering industry, $6000/mo, to be exact. Not too shabby. Still, the barber *out of work, currently* that I am, and the part-time entrepreneur *in another field* that I've become, my family still hounds me about that four-year college degree. Now, I am no dummy. I can do math *citing reasons to be diswayed by bloated interest rates for student loans* and I know my personality. The biggest problem with regards to attending college or, shall I say, the biggest problemS with regards to attending college right now *for my personal situation* are the following: -- I cannot sit still through classes, much less sit still through four full years, more if I need to go part time. -- There's not one major in college that I care to pursue. Not ONE. -- Not that I have anything against them, nor do I realize that all fall within this category, but I don't want a white collar position. No offense to white collar workers. My whole family is white collar. I am the only one who isn't. -- I can do math. I am not stupid. I know what I would need to repay for student loans after private, public or community colleges. I shudder with the thought of even having a debt of $5000. I don't have credit card debt. I don't own a credit card *my wisdom*. I have marginal medical debt *thank you, knee surgeries and asthma issues!*, but that only totals an amount in the ball park of $2000 -- manageable, comparitively speaking. I don't wish to repay loans once I hit the age when I begin drawing social security. I don't qualify for a grant -- still *legally* married, and I don't qualify for academic scholarships, grades aren't good enough, thanks to my high course withdrawal rate and F's for failing to withdraw courses once I unofficially dropped them back in the late 80's. -- I want to own a business when the opportunity arises and don't see it as a possibility by taking out student loans. There's no such thing as good debt/bad debt. It's ALL debt and I'd rather be debt free once the time permits to apply for a small business loan. So, there you have it. My life in a fairly sizeable nutshell. Question is this: How do I effectively explain to my family, once and for all, that I am NOT college-bound and that I have other, more important, more attractive aspirations? Appreciated are the intelligent and inobtuse replies. Thanks.

Bear with me, this is a bit lengthy. I am female, nearly 40 with family, especially 76 year old father coaxing me to pursue a college degree to land "secure employment" with benefits. Let me shed a little light with regards to my particular situation. I reluctantly graduated high school in '88 *wishing I'd repeated that year citing personal reasons* and, with the persistence of both my parents, began that fall in community college, randomly choosing a major to 1) get my parents off of my back and 2) declare a major just for the sake of declaring a major. My grandfather put away money since the time I was a baby in the stock market for my college, but I used it to fulfill transportation, living expenses and a trade school instead *I had always wanted to be a barber -- since the age of five* This, not surprisingly, was an unacceptable aspiration and, several years later, continued to be coaxed to finish a four-year-degree. This time, not only by my grandfather, but also my father and my younger brother and his wife. To make an insanely long story short, I spent those 20+ years traveling, barbering *for 15 years total*, working in various administrative positions in various industries and had a blast, along the way, doing so. There's one drawback: I have an extremely tiny retirement *my fault*, no benefits other than health insurance through my ex *not that I consider THAT a benefit -- more so a necessity* and some of the best income produced of any field I worked in in the barbering industry, $6000/mo, to be exact. Not too shabby. Still, the barber *out of work, currently* that I am, and the part-time entrepreneur *in another field* that I've become, my family still hounds me about that four-year college degree. Now, I am no dummy. I can do math *citing reasons to be diswayed by bloated interest rates for student loans* and I know my personality. The biggest problem with regards to attending college or, shall I say, the biggest problemS with regards to attending college right now *for my personal situation* are the following: -- I cannot sit still through classes, much less sit still through four full years, more if I need to go part time. -- There's not one major in college that I care to pursue. Not ONE. -- Not that I have anything against them, nor do I realize that all fall within this category, but I don't want a white collar position. No offense to white collar workers. My whole family is white collar. I am the only one who isn't. -- I can do math. I am not stupid. I know what I would need to repay for student loans after private, public or community colleges. I shudder with the thought of even having a debt of $5000. I don't have credit card debt. I don't own a credit card *my wisdom*. I have marginal medical debt *thank you, knee surgeries and asthma issues!*, but that only totals an amount in the ball park of $2000 -- manageable, comparitively speaking. I don't wish to repay loans once I hit the age when I begin drawing social security. I don't qualify for a grant -- still *legally* married, and I don't qualify for academic scholarships, grades aren't good enough, thanks to my high course withdrawal rate and F's for failing to withdraw courses once I unofficially dropped them back in the late 80's. -- I want to own a business when the opportunity arises and don't see it as a possibility by taking out student loans. There's no such thing as good debt/bad debt. It's ALL debt and I'd rather be debt free once the time permits to apply for a small business loan. So, there you have it. My life in a fairly sizeable nutshell. Question is this: How do I effectively explain to my family, once and for all, that I am NOT college-bound and that I have other, more important, more attractive aspirations? Appreciated are the intelligent and inobtuse replies. Thanks.

1. International careers are more common now because of growth in the __________. A. number of young workers B. number of immigrants C. global economy D. education sector 2. An example of a benefit is a A. retirement plan B. safe working environment C. paycheck D. lunch break. 3. When you gather information on how many jobs will be available in a certain field in the future, you are researching the A. work environment B. career outlook C. benefits D. education and training

...is offered for those who work at the Bethel headquarters in Brooklyn, NY for the majority of their lives? Once they leave Bethel, how do they support themselves?

I graduated from college like a good little do-bee, and I had a good job for 20 years. I dutifully paid my income taxes for all those years, part of which paid into the many federal entitlement programs, including food stamps for the needy. Now that the Obama Depression is looming, I've been out of work since May, and I don't have any employment prospects in the forseeable future. I am rapidly running through my savings, including my retirement accounts. I am facing the prospect of going on food stamps in the forseeable future. But then a terrible thought occurred to me - there are so many people losing their jobs, and they didn't save up nearly as much as I did. What if they all go on food stamps, and by the time I need them there is not enough money to pay for any more recipients? How would you feel if you paid into the food stamps system for 20 years, then when times changed and now you're the one in need, you are told "I'm sorry, there is a shortfall of funds, the program is closed to new applicants. All the available funds are going to existing participants who are in the program already." Then when you say "I paid into this system for 20 years, now you're telling me I can't get any benefits when it's my turn to get some?" Then the social worker just sneers back "Benefits were provided on a first come first served basis, Sorry, you snooze you lose!" How would you react?

There were no contracts, she did not pay my social security, retirement, or any other taxes. It was just a part time cash job. Now in order to claim more expenses she wants to make it all official which means I have to pay taxes I did not anticipate and I dont have the money. What should I do?Was she required by law to pay any social security, retirement, benefits, etc on my behalf?

I got divorced 6 years ago and I am receiving alimony from my ex, could I collect his Social Security benefits when I reach my retirement?

My husband was laid off in April of 2009 and has been on unemployment benefits since May. To keep our heads above water and pay some medical bills, we had to cash out his 401(k). While filing his weekly claim it does ask something about receiving retirement or pension. I understand the 20% taxes withheld by the IRS, and the state taxes withheld, and the fact that there is a 10% early withdrawal penalty because we are under 59.5, but need to know what this will do to the unemployment. By the way, the money was taken out in 2009. Thanks for any help.

"I believe in returning the nation's wealth to its rightful owners." -- Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States Are the "rightful owners" of this nation the international bankers, global insurance ceo's, automobile manufacturing titans, national union bosses, federal mortgage crooks and corrupt political cronies that 0bama gave trillions of dollars of this nation's wealth? All while raising taxes on our fuel, electricity, health benefits, capital gains, dividends, income, social security, inheritance, retirement accounts and everyday commodities like tobacco and sugar. What did Obama give you? Obama allowed you to keep $8 more of your weekly paycheck. Would you like more kool-aid?

Ok so I already know that the Active Duty Army will NOT take an RN as an Officer if they only have an Associates and a license (to be and AD Officer you have to have a Bachelors). I read on the GoArmy website ( http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/nurse/corps_benefits.jsp ) that in the Reserves you only need an Associates degree in Nursing (ADN) and your license to become a Nurse Corps Officer. How does that work? In case the link doesn't work here is what it said: RESERVE NURSE CORPS BENEFITS When you become a nurse and Officer on the U.S. Army Reserve Health Care Team, you can work in your community and serve when needed. In addition to generous financial incentives and retirement plan options, you'll have the opportunity to enhance your career and provide our Soldiers and their Families with the best nursing care. SPECIAL PAY Provides up to $15,000 ($5,000 per year for a maximum of three years) to nurses with a diploma or an associate degree in nursing. <------------------------------ <----------------------------------- <----------------------------- Provides up to $30,000 ($10,000 per year for a maximum of three years) to nurses with a BSN, MSN, DNSc or Ph.D. in nursing. Provides up to $37,500 ($12,500 per year for a maximum of three years) for critical care nurses with a BSN or higher. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, you can receive special pay up to $45,000, ($15,000 per year for a maximum of three years) paid in three yearly increments of $15,000.

I am considering retirement and would like to know how much money the gov. will keep out of my monthly payments. I am 64. Thanks.

I am 23 and a student who has been unemployed since 2007. My unemployment compensation benefits have recently been exhausted and I was wondering if I would still be able to make IRA contributions. I am unemployed (according to the government and IRS), but I work from home and sell things on the internet. So I am wondering if I can still make IRA contributions, and If I do, what will happen if anything? I am aware that ROTH IRA's are tax-free when taken out at retirement because of contributions are made with taxable income. But what If I do not have any "taxable income"? What will happen if I continue to make contributions while not reporting any source of income. Any help with this would be great. Thank you

My Grandfather recently passed away, he was in the Air Force for 20 years, and then worked for the VA as a domiciliary firefighter for another 20. As a federal employee, he did not pay social security. Now, as a widow, does my grandmother qualify for any survivor benefits? She gets $500 per month SSI, but that won't cover her expenses.

Can anyone think of anything that has done more damage to America than the feathers in the liberals' hats? They point to medicare, Medicare Part D (brought to us by Bush), and social security as things that are helping the poor and those in need. Medicare, Medicare Part D, and Social Security have more than $100 Trillion in unfunded commitments. That is more than 7X's the GDP of the USA and nearly 2X's the GDP of the entire world combined. My question is what good is free health care, free drugs, and retirement benefits if we the dollar crashes, the economy completely goes into irreversible depression, our country defaults on the national debt, and our country fails? Who else thinks we need political reforms, government operational reforms, and entitlement reforms before it is too late to save our country? I am serious and not being dramatic. Before you point to Bush, the pentagon's budget, and the two wars we are fighting without paying for. David M. Walker points out you can remove all fraud from the entire system (not just medicare fraud) and the entire pentagon budget and they are a drop in the bucket to the unfunded commitments to the entitlement programs I mentioned. Who is with me and how can we get the ball to rolling?

I have sign up for social security benefits at age 62 and have been approved by S.S. I am not only working 25 hrs per week and social security said I am making too mush money at $12.00 per hr to receive my full benefits and I will have to pay back money to the government Is there a org or company or former social security worker or AARP that can help me understand either by telephone or internet (social security office gives me the run around and then hangs up )

This system has become another welfare system. Was it suppose to be primarily a social insurance program providing social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, which includes poverty...don't we have welfare for this...why are we paying for this twice...through income tax and social security... old age..retirement pension disability...again why are we in the insurance business unemployment and others...why should we pay for unemployment to workers who never put anything in 1. Social Insurance...don't put in...don't get anything out...and legally in this country 2. Retirement Pensions...have to put in to get out...and legally in this country 3. Disability Insurance...has to be regulated...ADHD and behavioral and special education students should not be getting checks... 4. Survivor Benefits...they should only get if their husbands put in and legally in this country 5. Unemployment Insurance...should only get...if they have been paying in and legally in this country 6. Basic Necessities...we already have this service...with Welfare

suggested by Dennis Kucinich, D-Oh, a million people retire at age 60, qualify for Soc Sec benefits as if they were 62. How much would a persons social security benefits be reduced if they took the deal? # sorry, I should have made this part more clear: Dennis Kucinich is suggesting a special rule be passed to allow a million people to retire within a determined six month period; those people would be treated by Social Security just as if they were 62 years old and would qualify for early Social Security retirement benefits.

Does this sound like a great idea: a million people would take early retirement at age 60, receive Social Security benefits as if they were 62 years old, as Dennis Kucinich, (D-Ohio) suggests, do you think: it would create a million jobs to be filled and reduce the unemployment rolls? or Would business use the opportunity to reduce their work force expense and not fill many of those jobs, using 'attrition of jobs' rather than lay offs? The retirees position would not be filled until business reached a higher level of sales/need; other existing employees would share the duties of the person retiring. The jobs wouldn't be gone therefore the jobs of the early retired employees, not filled, would never show up in the unemployment figures. Good Idea? Do you think this would create a million new jobs?