The Changing Face of Retirement

For years, maybe decades, the common thinking on retirement was that you worked steadily, saved steadily, and when you reached that end-of-career marker — for many, age 65, but now 66 or 67 — you stepped off the treadmill and…

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A Frequent Question: How Did SSA Determine My Social Security Retirement Benefit?

One of the more frequently misunderstood items we encounter here at the AMAC Social Security Advisory Service is the belief that retirement benefits are based on one’s last 5 years of earnings. Some say the last 10 years, and some…

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A Deeper Look at the Workround on Social Security Benefit Taxation

One of the positives of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for millions of seniors was the temporary $6,000 bonus deduction available for tax years 2025-2028. Welcome relief, for sure, and it served to honor–at least in theory and…

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Social Security’s Full Retirement Age (FRA)

Once upon a time, there was no mystery about Social Security’s full retirement age – everyone received their full benefit if they claimed at 65, the age set when the program was first enacted in 1935. But way back in 1983, the…

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Solving Social Security’s Financial Woes

If you read the news at any level, you are surely aware that the nation’s premier retirement program – Social Security – is facing some serious financial issues in the near future. In fact, the latest report from the Congressional…

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“Ask Rusty – Why Can’t I get a Lump Sum Death Benefit from my Wife?”

Dear Rusty: My wife passed away in September 2025 at age 64. We had been married for 43 years and started collecting benefits when I turned 62 and she was 63. She did not have enough work credits to claim…

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