Social Security Combined Trust Fund Reserves Depletion Year Remains 2034 Says Board of Trustees

Disability Fund Improves by Four Years

The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds.  The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds are projected to become depleted in 2034, the same as projected last year, with 79 percent of benefits payable at that time.

The OASI Trust Fund is projected to become depleted in late 2034, as compared to last year’s estimate of early 2035, with 77 percent of benefits payable at that time.  The DI Trust Fund will become depleted in 2032, extended from last year’s estimate of 2028, with 96 percent of benefits still payable. Continue reading →

Scammers are always looking for new schemes to steal your money. They will even go as far as impersonating government officials or law enforcement. Recently we received complaints from consumers targeted by imposter scams—some involved scammers impersonating officials from my office.

These scammers typically request a wire payment to stop some non-existent state action or they seek social security numbers or other personal information. One common imposter scam involves a caller claiming to be law enforcement. They target grandparents claiming a grandchild is in jail. The scammer then requests a money transfer or prepaid debit card as bail. Continue reading →

Source: Florida Attorney General’s Office

Small businesses have increasingly become the target of scam artists who use their knowledge of small business practices to fraudulently induce these businesses to pay for services never performed or for products never delivered. These scam artists use a number of different techniques which include: sending phony invoices for items never ordered; using prizes as an inducement to sell overpriced office equipment and supplies; sending phony invoices or correspondence appearing to be from the Florida Division or Corporations or another government entity; and sending phony yellow page advertisement renewal forms which are actually contracts for advertisement in other directories. Consider the following to avoid small business scams:

Verify invoices.

Employ procedures to verify any and all incoming invoices prior to payment. Compile a listing of all suppliers with whom you normally do business by name, address and phone number and make the list available to anyone responsible for the payment of your invoices. Continue reading →

6/1/2018

Today, marks the first day of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season and it is also a time when tourists love to visit Florida. Close to 21 million people call Florida home, and millions more visit the beauty Florida offers from the panhandle all the way to the Keys. In the past two years, Florida has been reminded of the impact of mother nature during the past hurricane seasons that have brought destruction and devastating flooding to our communities.

Everyone, whether you are a resident or a visitor, should make safety their number one priority and be prepared for this upcoming hurricane season. Hurricane experts predict this hurricane season to be an active one, and I want everyone to be prepared. My Hurricane Preparedness Guide provides a detailed checklist of items you will need in the event of a hurricane. To view my guide, click here. Continue reading →