Michelle Leisen, CFP®,CDFA®

Much has been written about saving for retirement, and we adhere to the principle that financial security is a key component to a successful retirement. Many of you are on that road right now, while others are accessing the savings accumulated over a lifetime.

Social Security provides retirees with a basic income. It was never intended to fully cover the cost of living in retirement. But it acts as a supplement to your resources. Social Security includes disability, dependent benefits, and survivor benefits for minor or disabled children. Our focus today will be on retirement benefits.

Taxpayers invest about 13 hours preparing their tax returns, according to the IRS’s instructions for Form 1040. More specifically, the IRS says that the average nonbusiness taxpayer spends nine hours preparing a tax return, which includes three hours of record keeping. For taxpayers who file a business return, expect around 24 hours, with about half of that spent keeping records.