Cameras Off, Please!
Zoom (ZM) and other video calls are a mainstay of the modern workday. While smiling into a camera may be exhausting for remote workers, there is a new reason to keep cameras dark: saving the planet.
Researchers from Purdue, Yale, and MIT found that switching off the video during Zoom meetings doesn’t just reduce video call fatigue. It effectively reduces your carbon footprint.
Cooling Servers and the Planet
According to the study, keeping your camera off during video conferencing can lower the session’s carbon footprint by as much as 96%, almost completely eliminating the environmental toll.
The carbon footprint of a video call mainly stems from data centers, which require huge amounts of air conditioning and coolant liquids, an energy-intensive combination.
Zooming Out
The numbers speak for themselves: one single hour of video conferencing or streaming emits anywhere from 150 to 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to 11% of the emissions from burning an entire gallon of gasoline.
And that’s not all. One hour on Zoom also requires between 2 and 12 liters of water. Zoom alone hosts 55 billion hours of meetings annually. If just a quarter of those were audio-only, it would eliminate 18.2 million pounds of CO2 emissions and save 27.5 billion liters of water.
These numbers provide an eye-opening reminder that our digital actions impact the world around us. By opting for audio-only calls when possible, disabling autoplay while streaming, and being mindful of our interactions with large-footprint tools such as AI, we can all do our part.
This article originally appeared on SoFi.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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How soon can I apply for early retirement & get social security?
Social Security is a social insurance program created in 1935 to pay workers an income once they retired at age 65 or older. When people talk about Social Security benefits, they’re referring to a monthly payment that replaces a portion of a worker’s pre-retirement income.
The amount you receive depends on how much you earned and paid in Social Security taxes during the 35 highest-earning years of your career. Generally speaking, the higher your income, the bigger your monthly check will be — up to a point. Also important is the age at which you claim benefits. Typically, the later you receive benefits, the higher your monthly check will be.
Note that retirees aren’t the only ones who are eligible for Social Security benefits. People with qualifying disabilities, surviving spouses of workers who have died, and dependent beneficiaries may also qualify for benefits.
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When the Social Security program began, the full retirement age (FRA) was 65, and that’s still what many in the U.S. think of as the average retirement age. However, as life expectancy in the U.S. has increased, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has adjusted the FRA accordingly.
The chart below illustrates FRA by year of birth.
- 1943-1954: 66
- 1955: 66 and 2 months
- 1956: 66 and 4 months
- 1957: 66 and 6 months
- 1958: 66 and 8 months
- 1959: 66 and 10 months
- 1960 or later: 67
jacoblund/istockphoto
You can choose to claim retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, SSA will reduce your benefit by about 0.5% for every month you receive benefits before your FRA. For example, if your full retirement age is 67 and you file for Social Security benefits when you’re 62, you’d receive around 70% of your benefit.
On the other hand, if you wait to claim benefits after your FRA, you’ll accrue delayed retirement credits. This increases your benefit a certain percentage for every month you delay after your FRA. For example, if your full retirement age is 67 and you delay receiving benefits until age 70, you’ll get 124% of your monthly benefits. Note that the benefit increase stops when you turn 70.
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When you claim your Social Security benefits, the SSA considers you retired. However, you can continue working after retirement and receiving benefits at the same time, though they may be limited.
If you’re younger than FRA for the entire year, the SSA will deduct $1 from your payment for every $2 you earn above an annual limit. In 2023, that limit is $21,240. In the year you reach full retirement age, the SSA will begin deducting $1 for every $3 you make above a different earnings limit — $56,520 in 2023.
No matter their work history, your spouse has the option to claim Social Security benefits based on your work record. That benefit can be up to 50% of your primary insurance amount, which is the benefit you’d receive at FRA. Your spouse can begin receiving spousal benefits at age 62, but they will receive a reduced benefit.
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The main advantage of filing for Social Security early is that you’ll have access to retirement funds sooner. This can be a boon to individuals who need extra money to get by each month. To help you maximize every last dollar, consider using a spending app to create budgets, track spending, and monitor bills.
The main disadvantage of filing early is that you may permanently reduce your monthly benefit amount. This could be a factor to keep in mind as you determine whether you’re on track for retirement.
So how do you decide when to file for your benefits? Consider your “break-even point.” This is the age at which receiving a delayed higher benefit outweighs claiming benefits earlier.
Here’s an example of how that works. Let’s say your FRA is 67 and your annual benefit is $24,000. If you claim your benefit at age 62, your benefit drops to $16,800 a year. If you delay until age 70, your benefit would be $29,760 a year.
By adding up each year’s worth of benefits and comparing them across different potential retirement ages, you find your break-even point. So in that last example, claiming your benefit at FRA breaks even with early filing at age 78. If you expect to live until this age or longer, you may consider filing for Social Security at full retirement age. Delaying until age 70 breaks even with claiming at FRA at age 82. So if you expect to live until 82 or longer, you may consider delaying your benefits.
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Social Security is an important source of guaranteed income during retirement and can help ensure you can cover recurring expenses like housing payments and utilities. Your monthly payment amount is determined by how much you’ve earned during your working career and the age at which you claim Social Security benefits. You’re eligible to receive your full benefits when you reach full retirement age (FRA). If you file before then, the monthly payment will be reduced. If you file later, your monthly payment can increase, up to a point. Consider your short- and long-term financial needs carefully before deciding when to claim Social Security.
This article originally appeared on SoFi.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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