A one-time $255 Social Security death benefit goes to a surviving spouse or child
The smallest benefit Social Security pays is also one of the most overlooked: a one-time death payment of exactly $255. When a covered worker dies, a surviving spouse or, in narrower cases, a child can claim the lump sum — a flat figure that has not budged in decades and is never adjusted for inflation. […]
Read MoreA one-time $255 Social Security death benefit goes to a surviving spouse or child
The smallest benefit Social Security pays is also one of the most overlooked: a one-time death payment of exactly $255. When a covered worker dies, a surviving spouse or, in narrower cases, a child can claim the lump sum — a flat figure that has not budged in decades and is never adjusted for inflation. […]
Read MorePersonal Finance
Smart Spending
Free IRS and AARP programs will prepare a senior’s tax return at no cost
Paying a commercial preparer to file a straightforward retirement-era return can cost well over a hundred dollars, and for a…
Personal Finance
Smart Spending
Free IRS and AARP programs will prepare a senior’s tax return at no cost
Paying a commercial preparer to file a straightforward retirement-era return can cost well over a hundred dollars, and for a…
Markets & Investing
Banking & Credit Cards
Fraud & Scams
Anyone caught in the Doxim data breach has until October 13 to file for up to $100
People whose personal information was exposed in the 2023 Doxim data breach have a limited window to claim money, and the clock runs out on...
Bank Accounts & Fees
NCUA insurance covers credit-union deposits up to $250,000, just like the FDIC
Retirees who keep savings at a credit union instead of a bank sometimes wonder whether the money is protected the same way. It is. Deposits...
Fraud & Scams
Watch for IRS impersonators: the real agency mails first and never demands instant payment
IRS impersonation remains one of the most common ways scammers separate older Americans from their money, and the defense rests on a single fact: the...
Fraud & Scams
A Georgia man was convicted of laundering nearly $3 million drained from elderly victims’ retirement savings
A federal jury in Georgia has convicted a Douglasville man of laundering more than $2.7 million stolen from victims of romance and online scams, money...
Fraud & Scams
A free credit freeze blocks scammers from opening new accounts in your name
A credit freeze is one of the few fraud defenses that is both free and close to airtight, and federal regulators single it out as...
Fraud & Scams
Debit-card fraud can empty your account, while a credit card caps your loss at $50
Two plastic cards can sit in the same wallet and carry wildly different protection when they fall into the wrong hands. Federal law caps a...
Real Estate
Mortgages & Rates
Mortgage rates near 6.65% are sitting close to a one-year high, squeezing retirees who hoped to downsize
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stood at 6.65% in the week of August 20, 2026, down two…
Retirement & Taxes
A federal audit found $106 million in dead beneficiaries’ Social Security overpayments never recovered, and estates can be billed
A surviving spouse who remarries after age 60 still keeps a late partner’s Social Security survivor benefit