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The Psychology Behind Claiming Social Security Benefits Early
Age 62 continues to be the most popular claiming age for Social Security benefits–40% of men and 47% of women decide that way, according to the Social Security Administration. Although this option is counter to the advice doled out by…
“Phishing” Scams are Evolving…Now It’s “Vishing”
Society’s underbelly continues to display creativity in the development of new ways to defraud the unsuspecting, and this constant search for innovative scams has now yielded an approach labeled “vishing,” with “phishing” now conflated with voice-based approaches to start the…
Dealing With the Longevity of Your Retirement Resources
It’s something that concerns many (perhaps most) retirees…Will I outlive my retirement resources? For many, it will become a real concern as they evolve through their retirement years, so it becomes increasingly important for them to watch for signs that…
Social Security “Buyer’s Remorse”
Most know that Social Security retirement benefits can be claimed as early as age 62, and many also know that waiting longer means a higher benefit. Despite the knowledge that claiming early means a permanently lower monthly payment, many are…
Review Your Lifetime Social Security Earnings
One of the fundamental factors use to calculate your Social Security benefit when you claim is your lifetime earnings history, as reported to the Social Security Administration by the IRS. Knowing that, doesn’t it make sense to review your earnings…
Social Security Dysphoria
Fueled in large part by politicians’ accounts (and media hype) “dooms day” for Social Security is but a short decade away and, sadly, most of the public believes media accounts despite being largely uninformed about how the Social Security program…
About Social Security Solvency
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), election year promises “not to touch Social Security” are hollow pledges. The CRFB says “While this pledge is framed as ‘protecting benefits,’ it is – in reality – an implicit…
Understanding Social Security Disability
Social Security’s disability program, known as “SSDI” (Social Security Disability Insurance), is one of the most misunderstood segments of the nation’s entire social insurance program. Unfortunately, we hear almost daily from American’s frustrated because their application for SSDI benefits has…
Young Americans: It’s Never Too Soon to Save for Retirement !
Time is, inarguably, one of the most important factors for building a sizable retirement nest egg. That is the word from countless older Americans who have neglected saving in their younger years, only to now find themselves lacking the financial…
Mitigating Income Tax on Social Security Benefits
It’s a particularly vexing problem, and one which catches many Social Security beneficiaries unaware – Social Security benefits are taxable if your income from all sources is high enough. What that means is if you have a lot of income…