BenefitsCheckUp is a free service of the National Council on Aging, showing you what FREE benefits

Posted on

Apr 20, 2021

Book/Edition

National

Share This
Have you heard ofBenefitsCheckUp? It is a free service of the National Council on Aging, that lets you search for benefits easily, securely, and accurately. In the US, there are over 2,500 federal, state, and private benefit programs available. Start finding benefits with ourBenefitsCheckUp questionnaire or browse our Resource Library to learn more about programs and eligibility.

Learn more about the program that can help you save money. Benefit programs include:

Medications
Health Care
Income Assistance
Food & Nutrition


Housing & Utilities
Tax Relief
Veteran
Employment
Counseling Assistance


Vision Loss Services
Respite Care Services
Pension Assistance
Park & Recreational Discounts
Education Programs


Transportation Assistance
& More!


HowBenefitsCheckUpWorks:

Answer some questions. Review your initials results or enter more details to personize your report.


Get your report. Provide more information to get a customized report of benefits youre most likely to qualify for.


See how to apply. Review your custom report, learn more about benefits, and start enrolling in programs.


Click here to begin your FREE search!

Other Articles You May Like

Slow and Steady: A smart way to invest

Youve probably heard stories about fortunate investors who get in the ground floor of a new, hot company and quickly make a fortune. But while these things may happen, they are exceedingly rare and often depend on hard-to-duplicate circumstances and they really dont represent a viable way of investing for ones goals. A far more tried-and-true approach is the slow-and-steady method.To follow this strategy, consider these suggestions: Start small and add more when you can. When youre first starting out in the working world, you may not have a lot of extra money with which to invest, especially if youre carrying student loan debt. But one of the key advantages of the slow-and-steady method is that it does not require large investment sums to get going. If you can afford to put away even $50 or $100 a month into individual stocks or mutual funds, month after month, you may be surprised and pleased at how your account can grow. And when your salary goes up, you can put away more money each month. Take advantage of an employers retirement plan. If your employer offers a 401(k) or similar tax-advantaged retirement plan, try to take full advantage of it. Again, if youre just beginning your career, you may not be able to put away much in this type of plan, but even a small amount is better than nothing. And as soon as you can possibly afford it, try to put in enough to earn your employers matching contribution, if one is offered. These types of plans can offer some key benefits and perhaps the biggest one is that investing is automatic, in that the money is moved directly from your paycheck into the investments youve chosen within your 401(k) or other plan. Be prepared for downturns. The financial markets will always experience ups and downs. So, you need to be prepared for those times when your investment statements may show negative results. By understanding that these downturns are a normal part of the investment environment, you can avoid overreactions, such as selling quality investments with good fundamentals just because their price has temporarily dropped. Chart your progress regularly. A key element of a slow-and-steady investment approach is knowing how well its working. But its important to measure your progress in a way that makes sense for you. So, for example, instead of measuring your portfolios performance against that of an external stock market index, such as the S&P 500, you may want to assess where you are today versus one year ago, or whether the overall progress youre making is sufficient to help you meet the financial goals youve set for yourself well into the future. Another reason not to use a market index as a measuring tool is that the index only looks at a certain pool of investments, which, in the case of the S&P 500, is simply the largest companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. But long-term investors try to own a range of assets U.S. and foreign stocks, bonds, government securities, certificates of deposit, and so on. Slow and steady may not sound like an exciting approach to investing. But its often the case that a little less excitement, and a lot more diligence, can prove to be quite effective.  Chad Choate III, AAMS 828 3rd Avenue West Bradenton, FL 34205 941-462-2445 chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

When should you take Social Security?

            One of your important sources of retirement income will likely be Social Security but when should you start taking it?            You can start collecting Social Security benefits at 62, but your checks will be considerably bigger if you wait until your full retirement age, which is likely between 66 and 67. You could even wait until youre 70, at which point the payments will max out, except for yearly cost-of-living adjustments. But if you need the money, you need the money, even if youre just 62 or any age before full retirement age.             However, if you have adequate financial resources to meet your monthly needs, whether through earned income, your investment portfolio or a combination of the two, you could have some flexibility in choosing when to take Social Security. In this case, you may want to weigh these considerations:            Life expectancy For all of us, its one of lifes great mysteries: How long will we live? Of course, we cant see into the future, so the question cant be answered with total confidence. But to make an informed decision on when to take Social Security, you dont need to know your exact lifespan you just need to make a reasonably good estimate. So, for example, if youre approaching 62, youre enjoying excellent health and you have a family history of longevity, you might conclude its worth waiting a few years to collect Social Security, so you can receive the bigger payments. Conversely, if your health is questionable and your family has not been fortunate in terms of longevity, you might want to start taking your benefits earlier.             Employment You can certainly continue working and still receive Social Security benefits. However, if youre under your full retirement age for the entire year, Social Security will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn above the annual limit of $22,320. In the year you reach your full retirement age, Social Security will deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above $59,520. So, you may want to keep these reductions in mind when deciding when to begin accepting benefits. Once you reach your full retirement age, you can earn any amount without losing benefits. (Also, at your full retirement age, Social Security will recalculate your benefit amount to credit you for the months you received reduced benefits because of your excess earnings.)            Spouse Spouses can receive two types of Social Security benefits: spousal and survivor. With a spousal benefit, your spouse can receive up to 50% of your full retirement benefits, regardless of when you start taking them. (Your spouses benefit can be reduced by the amount of their own retirement benefit and whether they took Social Security before their full retirement age.) But with a survivor benefit, your decision about when to take Social Security can make a big difference. A surviving spouse can receive the larger of their own benefit or 100% of a deceased spouses benefit, so if you take benefits early and receive a permanent reduction, your spouses survivor benefit may also be reduced for their lifetime.             When to take Social Security is an important and irrevocable decision. So, consider all the factors before making your choice.  Chad Choate III, AAMS 828 3rd Avenue West Bradenton, FL 34205 941-462-2445 chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Time for financial spring cleaning?

Spring is almost here, which means its time for some spring cleaning. This year, in addition to tidying your home and surroundings, you might want to consider sprucing up your financial environment, as well.Here are some suggestions for doing just that: Improve your vision. Once the days are warmer and longer, you may want to get outside and clean all the winter grime and smudges from your windows, allowing you to see the world more clearly. And you may want to bring more focus to your financial vision by asking some key questions: Is my investment strategy still appropriate for my needs, goals and family situation? If not, what changes should I make? And am I prepared for changes in my life, such as health challenges or a need to retire earlier than planned? The answers to these and other questions can help you clarify where you are, in terms of your financial picture, and where you want to go. De-clutter. As you look around your home, you may find things such as expired health care products, old prescriptions, ancient cleaning solutions, and so on, in addition to duplicate household items (how many blenders do you really need?) and non-working equipment printers, laptops, etc. Most people find that eliminating this clutter gives them a good feeling and more livable space. As an investor, you can also find clutter in the form of redundant investments for example, you might own several nearly identical mutual funds. You might be better off selling some of these funds and using the proceeds to find new investments that can help you further diversify your portfolio. As you may know, diversification is a key to investment success, but keep in mind that it cant prevent all losses. Plant seeds of opportunity. Whether theyre planting camellias and crocuses or carrots and cilantro, gardeners are busy in the spring, hoping their efforts result in lovely flowers and tasty foods. And when you invest, you, too, need to plant seeds of opportunity in the form of investments that you hope will grow enough to enable you to make progress toward your goals. So, you may want to review your portfolio to ensure its providing this growth potential, given your individual risk tolerance. Reduce dangers. You may not think about it that much, but your home and surroundings can contain potential hazards. You might have ill-fitting caps on cleaning products with toxic chemicals, or sharp cutting instruments protruding from shelves in your garage, or heavy, cracked tree branches hovering close to your roof. Spending some time on a spring-cleaning sweep can get rid of these dangers and devoting time to consider the possible threats to your financial security, and those of your family, can pay off, too. For starters, review your life insurance to determine if youve got enough. Your employer may offer some coverage as an employee benefit, but it might not be sufficient, so you may need private coverage. And the same is true for disability insurance, because if something were to happen to you, and you couldnt work for a while, youd still want to protect your familys lifestyle. Spring is a great time for brightening your physical space and your financial one, too.  Chad Choate III, AAMS 828 3rd Avenue West Bradenton, FL 34205 941-462-2445 chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.   Edward Jones is a licensed insurance producer in all states and Washington, D.C., through Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., and in California, New Mexico and Massachusetts through Edward Jones Insurance Agency of California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones Insurance Agency of New Mexico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones Insurance Agency of Massachusetts, L.L.C. California Insurance License OC24309