Ronda Gooden

How Much Will I Receive in Social Security?

(Jackson, MS) — The unpaid care provided by the 470,000 caregivers in Mississippi is valued at $5.6 billion, according to new state data available in AARP’s latest report in the Valuing the Invaluable series. In the last report that covered 2019, the amount was $4.7 billion. The report highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones.

`Volunteering with AARP Mississippi can be fun and rewarding, but it’s even more fulfilling when volunteers come together and make an impact as a team. Meet our featured volunteers and college sweethearts, Ronald and Elouise McLaughlin.

Social Security is your money — you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. And like most Americans, that money is needed to help cover living expenses and pay bills. Nearly one in four Mississippi residents – 681,219 people – receive Social Security benefits, and 55 percent of residents 65 and older rely on the program for at least half of their income.

More than 369,000 incidents of financial abuse targeting older adults are reported to authorities in the U.S. each year, causing an estimated $4.8 billion in losses. And those numbers likely understate the problem considerably. However, it’s good to remember that there are things we can do to stop elder financial exploitation.

Scammers are adept at manipulating the latest technological advances to commit their crimes. These days it’s happening in the world of artificial intelligence – commonly known as AI.

Batter Up! You can receive a free ticket for the baseball game between the Mississippi Braves and the Biloxi Shuckers at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 at Trustmark Park in Pearl. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Request a ticket at this link: https://events.aarp.org/bravesapril

Latest AARP research attaches $5.6 billion to the estimated 440 million hours of unpaid care that family caregivers provided in 2021.

It's almost time for spring break. That fact has some of us looking for a warm getaway this spring, but beware: scammers could be lurking on the other end of that sweetheart spring break deal. These three tips will help you spot a potential travel scam.

Spring is around the corner and many Mississippians are ready to plant their gardens. AARP Mississippi will present a Facebook gardening series beginning on the first day of Spring on March 20 at 11 a.m.