Headlines
A backlog on Social Security disability appeals
The Social Security Administration has made progress in reducing the backlog of disability appeals to a 30-year low of 262,000; however, the cases are claiming once again. As of January 2025, almost 300,000 Americans are still waiting for a decision…
Social Security announces expedited retroactive payments and higher monthly benefits for millions
The Social Security Administration announced it is immediately beginning to pay retroactive benefits and will increase monthly benefit payments to people whose benefits have been affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced…
Is retirement a distant dream?
The Census Bureau predicts by 2050, a quarter of the United States population will be 65 and older. Why is this important? In 2023, 11.2 million Americans age 65 and older were in the labor force (working or actively seeking…
One retirement mistake not to make
Social Security is a program designed to provide a safety net to older Americans. However, it is designed to replace roughly 40 percent of pre-retirement wages. How about the other 60 percent? If your employer has a 401(k), then you…
The new “Social Security Fairness Act” increases SS benefits for some government workers.
Congress has debated the issue for decades – ever since the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) were enacted in 1983 (the first version of the GPO was enacted in 1977). These provisions were made law…
Social Security for Children
If you are an older parent of a minor child, you may not be aware that when you claim Social Security benefits your minor child may also be eligible for Social Security benefits. There are, of course, restrictions and the…
The Importance of your Full Retirement Age to your Social Security retirement benefit
Each year, the Social Security Administration changes some rules affecting your benefits, so knowing the changes goes a long way toward choosing when to claim Social Security. Your “full retirement age” – which is when you get 100% of the…
Was the 2025 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) enough?
Well, almost certainly not, according to Maurie Backman in this Yahoo! Finance article. You see, annual COLA increases are actually “backward looking” – that is, they are based upon inflation which has already occurred, and they may not offset today’s…
Political Promises vs. Social Security Reality
During the 2024 election season, we often heard candidates promising that cuts to Social Security were “off the table.” President Trump was among those so promising but, as is already evident, that promise did not extend to cutting waste and…
What to do now That the Social Security Fairness Act has passed
Then President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act on January 5, 2025. This eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). There two pieces of legislation imposed offsets to some government employees who did…