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Social Security: Looking at Some Facts
Planning for retirement requires some extensive financial planning…we know that, and the popular media spends a fair amount of time focusing on the projected shortfalls and the steps that can (and should) be taken to ensure a comfortable standard of living in…
Choosing When to Take Benefits
One of the most important decisions in Social Security and retirement is choosing when to start collecting your benefits. This decision could be the difference of living below or above the poverty line for many seniors. The longer you wait,…
Planning a Solid Retirement with Social Security
Social Security is one of the most important systems in many American’s retirement plans. A huge number of Americans rely on–or will come to rely on–Social Security as a primary source of their income in retirement. Even those that use…
Confusion in Understanding Social Security
One of the biggest problems in the filing process for claiming Social Security is that claimants are not getting the information they need in order to make important decisions. Information about Social Security is exceedingly difficult to track down for…
The Social Security Solvency Issue
Most agree that there is a problem in Social Security regarding the solvency issue; however, reports vary on how severe the issue is. The two estimates that hold the most weight come from the Social Security Trustees and the Congressional…
Social Security Employees not Explaining Benefits Correctly
A new report recently released by the Government Accountability Office has revealed that employees of the Social Security Administration are not adequately explaining the full process to applicants. It would seem that in order to fully understand the system, your…
Setting Your Savings up for Retirement
The way you invest should vary depending on a few factors regarding your field of work and other retirement savings vehicles such as pensions or 401(k)s. A typical plan for investing would follow a similar plan to transitioning from stocks…
Social Security–Understanding the Basics is Critical!
Social Security sounds simple, but many people find out that it’s more complex than it appears, especially for those with questions on specific issues. For example, the calculation of spousal benefits and surviving spouse benefits can be confusing, as can…
Timing your Social Security Benefits–Some Pros and Cons
One of the biggest questions in Social Security is when to begin drawing benefits. There are pros and cons to be considered, and it is purely a case-by-case basis to decide the optimal path for each individual. In order to find the…
GAO Report Cites Inadequacy in SSA Claiming Advice
A report issued by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) to the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging earlier this month points out substantial deficiencies in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) handling of the claims process on behalf of applicants. While the report…