2016 Trustees Reports Project Social Security COLA, Medicare Premiums, and Long-Term Outlook

Every year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds release reports to Congress on the current financial condition and projected financial outlook of these programs. The 2016 reports, released on June 22, 2016, project a small Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and Medicare premium increases for 2017, and discuss ongoing financial challenges.…

Retiree Confidence on the Rise

While retirement confidence among U.S. workers appears to be stabilizing, confidence among today’s retirees continues to climb, finds the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) in its latest Retirement Confidence Survey. Workers who said they were “very confident” in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement rose from 13% in 2013 to 22% last year. In…

SEC Adopts Regulation Crowdfunding

New rules take effect in 2016 On October 30, 2015, after three and a half years of proposals, comments, and discussion, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its final rules on equity crowdfunding for small businesses. The forms that funding portals use to register with the SEC became effective on January 29, 2016, while…