Money

Being safe online is important every day. There may be days devoted to internet security awareness, but you need to be careful every time you go online.

Social Security continues to evaluate and improve how we protect what’s important to you. We take this responsibility seriously, and we have a robust cyber security program in place to help protect the personal information you entrust to us. Adding additional security measures to safeguard your personal information — but making them easy to use — is a vital part of keeping you safe and secure.

Recherché, a French word meaning of rare quality or elegance aptly describes Encore Entrepreneur, Pamela Burkland, and the line of one-of-a-kind, handmade bags and wearable art she produces. Recherché specializes in bags that illustrate an east meets west design: the bags are made from vintage Japanese Obi, or sashes traditionally worn by both Japanese men and women. A typical obi can measure around 14 feet by 12 inches wide, and may have ornate traditional patterns on one or both sides. The bags that Pamela creates from the obi material are all hand-stitched, and the buttons that adorn them are all vintage making them both modern and timeless pieces for any bag-loving fashonista.

Summer is here and millions of vacationers are packing their bags to visit a new locale and soak up some sunshine. You might be traveling quite a ways. You’re used to staying connected to important information like your bank accounts and social networks, especially on the go. Social Security is there in the same way — easily accessible when you’re away from your home or office.

Her company was sold. Then it was reorganized. And finally her position was eliminated. At age 70 Anne Hudson found herself unemployed and with few options to re-enter the workforce. She sought assistance from the Oregon Employment Department to help her in finding a similar job with comparable pay, but not long after she realized that the chances of that happening for someone with her profile were slim. She needed a new plan.

After years of working as a solo entrepreneur, a CPA, and a strategic adviser to small businesses at Portland Community College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Jackie Babicky Peterson could see that many of the SBDC clients did not want to start an employee dependent business, but rather were interested in making a living doing what they love. From that keen observation, Jackie had the idea to create Age is Opportunity! (AIO), a program geared toward enabling older adults to become solo entrepreneurs. AIO teaches older adults (age 50 and over) the skills and know-how to succeed as encore solopreneurs after or as they near retirement status. Since it began in 2014, Jackie, who is considered to be a thought leader in the field of solopreneurship, has guided dozens of students through the startup process and equipped them with the ability to combine their small business ideas and decades of professional development into a plan and to become successful solopreneurs later in life.

One of the greatest gifts you can give a grandchild is the gift of financial literacy. Helping them save money early in life and showing them how to make wise spending decisions goes a long way toward a bright financial future. As they get older, they may want to save for special purchases or their college education. You can encourage them when they get their first job to begin saving for the future, including their retirement.

For more than 80 years, Social Security has helped secure today and tomorrow with information, tools, and resources to meet our customers’ changing needs and lifestyles.

Saving for the future is a vital part of ensuring a secure retirement. American Savings Education Council and America Saves coordinate the annual America Saves Week. Started in 2007, the week is an annual opportunity for organizations to promote good savings behavior and a chance for individuals to assess their own saving status.

From her glass-walled conference room perch, Carla Kelley has the world at her feet—well, at least Portland. Portland, where she came for love, found that her true love was Portland itself. Now in the position of Senior Counsel at a major Portland law firm, Carla actually retired from full-time employment several years ago. But her experience and skills made her an attractive candidate to work in the firm’s business group. She now works part-time and, at age 71, is a woman on the go with a “rolodex” any mover and shaker would envy.