Free Republic

Remember when the President set a target of reducing staffing at the EPA by thousands of people? It was one of his first initiatives upon taking office and while the process is taking some time it’s definitely moving forward. But I’m not sure he was anticipating the way these reductions are being rolled out. Government Executive reports this morning that there are indeed plans being put in place, but much of the work thus far seems to involve setting aside millions of dollars to fund early retirement plans and buyouts. The Environmental Protection Agency has set aside $12 million...

Pair dies less than 1 hour 30 minutes apart LAKE JACKSON, Texas - After nearly 62 years of marriage, Lake Jackson couple Tom and Delma Ledbetter left this world about two weeks ago. “Mama was from Nebraska, and daddy was from Arkansas,” said Donetta Nichols. Nichols is one of the Ledbetters' daughters. She tells us the couple first met in their early 20s through mutual friends. “He was stationed in Florida and my mother and her girlfriend had moved to Florida,” she said. Their first date of sorts happened when Tom had to “just move his car.” “They drove around...

Bishop Gianfranco Todisco asked to be sent 'to the farthest, most disadvantaged' diocese Pope Francis accepted the early retirement request of Italian Bishop Gianfranco Todisco, who begged to be allowed to return to missionary work or to be sent “to the farthest, most disadvantaged” diocese. The Vatican announced Bishop Todisco’s resignation on April 21 as Bishop of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa in southern Italy. The bishop is 71, and the normal retirement age is 75.

Sorry for the vanity, but I'm dealing with a financial situation that is apparently a very unusual one and isn't easily addressed through traditional means. Long story short ... I'm looking into some options for opening a self-directed IRA (which is different from a self-managed IRA). The tax rules about these accounts are complicated, but I've determined that I can navigate them with minimal outside help. The issue I'm facing is that the IRS requires a third-party custodian to be involved in the process to file the necessary paperwork and annual tax forms. For the life of me, I cannot...

By age 50, your golden years are just around the corner. To be financially ready to retire by 67, retirement-plan provider Fidelity Investments says you should aim to have eight times your salary saved by age 60. Are Americans on track? According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), many Americans have some catching up to do. The mean retirement savings of a family between 50 and 55 years old is $124,831. For families with members between 56 and 61, the mean retirement savings is $163,577. But those numbers aren't representative of the state of American retirement....

Allies of Pope Francis are saying that he’s planning to follow the example of Benedict XVI and retire. But he’ll only do so once he’s appointed enough liberal cardinals to make sure that the next conclave doesn’t elected a conservative who will interpret Catholic doctrine more strictly than he does. This, at least, is what allies of the Pope have been telling colleagues – claiming that they’ve heard it from the pontiff himself. (Francis himself is a notorious chatterbox and so are some of the cardinals close to him.) The Pope, now 80, apparently wants to hold three more consistories...

You’ve hung up your work wardrobe and permanently disabled your alarm clock, but a person can only watch so many reruns and weed so many flowerbeds. Taking on a post-retirement job isn’t just about filling the hours, though. The average retirement lasts about 18 years, and only about 5% of people have adequate savings to sustain them after age 65. If you’re not part of that group, finding a work-from-home job can help you build up your savings, cover the bills that Social Security doesn’t meet or finance the travel you’ve dreamed of doing. That being said, you’ve earned a...

Where to Retire.

Remember those surveys which showed that up to one third of federal workers were thinking of quitting their jobs as soon as Donald Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 45th president? More than a few of them were obviously workers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where the media mournfully reported that workers were “coming to work in tears” over what was to become of their beloved agency. But for all of the angst and bluster showing up in the press we weren’t actually seeing many (if any) people making good on their promise. That is… until now. We’ve...

As I retire, I want to devote my last column to travelers who wrote in to discuss their tips and travails. Some wanted to get something fixed. Some just wanted to vent. All were welcome. Dear Dr. Gridlock: I’m not a commuter, but I have a real gridlock problem. When people in a left lane don’t pull up to the vehicle in front of them, they block the ability of people trying to turn left from accessing the left-turn lane. I can’t even count how many times I’ve missed the left green arrow because of this. It seems that if...

...But what’s interesting about the decision of Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is that just last month — on December 11 to be precise — he made a lengthy post on his campaign blog about why he’s running again in 2014...

The toxic dollar is bringing hell in a handbasket. Along with the student loan debt bubble and other major financial factors, the looming pensions crisis is bound to be the death of us all. Because it’s based on a future promise to pay, it has long been a benefit dangled to solve strikes and union disputes – because, in the end, it is just more debt, whether private or public. With tens of trillions in unfunded liabilities, the weight of an avalanche remains dangling over our heads. An aging population is cashing in on needed retirement benefits while the younger...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) - Nearly 600 faculty and staff have taken a voluntary retirement package from Penn State University, including more than 400 employees on the main campus. The Centre Daily Times (http://bit.ly/2mvKKvq ) reports 419 main campus employees took the offer, while 168 others did on satellite campuses. Forty-six percent of employees eligible for the early retirement took it, more than the university anticipated. Faculty 62 and older and staff 60 and older were eligible for a year's lump sum pay if they had at least 15 years' service.

The Queen of Soul is hanging up her crown. Aretha Franklin revealed in a new interview that she plans to retire this year after she releases her upcoming, as-yet-untitled album. See what she had to say in the video above! Speaking to Detroit TV station WDIV Local 4 on Tuesday, February 7, the 74-year-old “Respect” singer opened up about her decision to wrap up her inimitable career, which began in January 1961 when she released her debut record, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. “I must tell you, I am retiring this year,” Franklin – who was the first woman...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said it's unlikely that he will ever seek public office again, including the presidency, and said he wants to return to private life and his business career. Bush made the remarks while teaching a two-week course on governors at Texas A&M University. He said he is focused on his work to reform education and on his businesses, which he rejoined after his failed presidential bid concluded in February after the South Carolina Primary. "I unraveled everything I was doing to prepare for this - you don't do that lightly," Bush said. "I just think this...

In an unprecedented move, President-elect Donald Trump has fired traditional inauguration announcer Charlie Brotman, replacing him with Steve Ray. Ray is a Washington, DC.-based freelance announcer, and formerly volunteered with Trump's campaign. Brotman, 88, has announced every inauguration parade since former President Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn into office in 1957. In an interview with CTV News Channel on Thursday, Brotman said, "Devastated is a word that covers it all. Yes, I was really disappointed, to say the least... I’m asking, ‘Did I do something? Am I too old? What’s going on?" Brotman told CNN he "thought he was going...

As 2017 opens with the potential we have craved for many years, the initial milestones are being realized.

Nearly a third of retirees are playing chicken with one of the steepest tax penalties out there — and they are running out of time. IRS rules on so-called required minimum distributions generally kick in once you reach age 70½. For 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans, it's either when you turn 70½. or you retire, whichever is later. If you've inherited an IRA, you might also be subject to RMDs, even if your own retirement is years away. How much you need to take is usually based on the account balance at the end of the previous year, and...

Even the best things come to an end. After enjoying a quarter of a century of writing this column for Creators Syndicate, I have decided to stop. Age 86 is well past the usual retirement age, so the question is not why I am quitting, but why I kept at it so long. It was very fulfilling to be able to share my thoughts on the events unfolding around us, and to receive feedback from readers across the country -- even if it was impossible to answer them all. Being old-fashioned, I liked to know what the facts were...

Dr. Thomas Sowell the world famous economist has decided to finally hang up the pen. He wrote in his farewell column, “Even the best things come to an end. After enjoying a quarter of a century of writing this column for Creators Syndicate, I have decided to stop. Age 86 is well past the usual retirement age, so the question is not why I am quitting, but why I kept at it so long.” Few people have had as big of an impact on economics and political theory as Dr. Sowell over the last 40 years. He received his Ph.D....