Jennifer Ortiz – The News Desk

Amid the recent tech layoffs and other downsizing, older workers could face employment challenges. If you’ve recently lost your job and are nearing retirement age, you may be eligible to collect benefits. You could apply for unemployment and Social Security and receive both at the same time.Unemployment benefits are distributed to workers who have lost their financial support and meet certain requirements. If you are at least age 62 or have become disabled, you could also consider starting Social Security payments. While taking unemployment and Social Security benefits simultaneously may be possible, you’ll want to be aware of certain factors that could impact your income and taxes.If you lose your job and are nearing retirement or are disabled, consider: How to collect unemployment. Ho...

Few things in life can compete with the significance of retirement. After decades of working day in and day out, this is when you get to reclaim your time for yourself.“This is (one of) the largest transitions folks will make in their lifetimes,” says Shanna Tingom, financial advisor and co-founder of Heritage Financial Strategies in Gilbert, Arizona. “It’s a lot more emotional than people think.”As you move through the retirement process, you can expect to go through most, if not all, of the following rites of passage. Realizing you can retire. Turning in your resignation. Permanently shutting down your work computer. Saying good-bye to co-workers. Waking up on a workday without an alarm Answering “What do you do?” for the first time. Receiving your first retirement fund distribut...