Retirement
from24/7 Wall St.
3 days agoHow Losing a Spouse Can Double Your Tax Rate Overnight
Death of a spouse can raise a surviving partner's tax rate by changing filing status, reducing deductions, and pushing income into higher tax brackets.
And while the average retirement benefit today is only $2,071, it's somehow just enough income for some seniors to live on. But it's not a given that every Social Security recipient will get their monthly check in full. Working while collecting Social Security, for example, could result in withheld benefits for exceeding the program's earnings test thresholds. The earnings test applies to Social Security recipients who have not yet reached their full retirement age.
Seniors in 41 states are projected to have more expenses than income during their golden years, putting them at risk for outliving their retirement savings, according to a new study by Seniorly, an assisted living online marketplace. The amount they're missing, on average, over the course of their retirement years: $115,000. RELATED: Leaving California: Where's the best state to move to in 2025? In California, the gap between projected income and expenses for retirees is far higher: $337,000. Along with the Golden State, three other states New York, Hawaii and Alaska have the nation's highest retirement gaps, where people's income likely can't keep up with expenses.