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Timing is everything when it comes to Social Security
“Timing is everything.” — Buck Brannaman. This statement applies when it comes to when you should claim your Social Security benefits. If you take them at age 62, they will be permanently reduced by as much as 30 percent compared…
What to know before you take your first RMD
Are you turning 73 this year and facing taking your first required minimum distributions (RMDs)? If so, congratulations; if not, you may want to take notes for when it’s your turn to start taking RMDs. Maurie Backman, writing for The…
How to avoid costly mistakes in retirement
“Retirement isn’t the end of the road — it’s the reward for the path you planned.” – Unknown Planning for retirement is hard, but it is worth it. Although some of us thought we had planned well for retirement, certain…
GAO findings on sharing costs for Social Security’s Death Data
Only for the most persnickety among us, this report from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) explains that the Social Security Administration pays the various States for their “death data” (about $26 million in 2025), which is then used by…
Sounding the Alarm: Social Security in Financial Trouble
In somewhat of a “Johnny-come-lately” mayday alarm, this MorningStar article by Jessica Hall reports that the latest from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is that Social Security’s reserves may be fully depleted in about the year 2032 – an issue…
Speeding up SS Disability Decisions
It’s certainly no secret that applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits is often an effort which takes a long time for results. Unless the disability is included on SSA’s “Compassionate Allowance List” (CAL), it isn’t unusual for an…
Social Security Taxation Rules – 2026
There has been a lot of media discussion about taxation of Social Security benefits, what with the passage of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) last year. But as beneficial as the OBBB is to your IRS tax bill,…
Changes to Social Security’s operating processes are coming soon
In somewhat of an “under the radar” internal announcement, the Social Security is updating its operating procedures to improve processing times and balance staff workload. This, to adjust to the agency’s new reality – a loss of about 7,000 employees…
Social Security sponsoring annual “Slam the Scam” day event
March 5, 2026 is an important date for those of us who worry about our Social Security benefits being stolen by scammers and other nefarious individuals. Fact is, those seeking to defraud senior Americans are rapidly proliferating and developing more…
Working while on SS Disability
About 12 million American’s rely on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to sustain them during their period of disability. Those SSDI benefits are typically small, but did you know that it is possible to supplement your SSDI benefits by…