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End of Life Doesn’t Always Mean End of Social Security Benefits
Of course, Social Security retirement benefits stop when a beneficiary dies, but surviving spouses, ex-spouses, surviving minor children, surviving disabled adult children, and, sometimes, surviving parents may be able to get benefits even after benefits have stopped for the deceased.…
Retirement Laundry List
Your life – Act II. After spending a large part of your life working and raising a family, you finally decide it’s time to hang up your work clothes, abandon the so-called “daily grind,” and retire. So, what do you…
How Long Must I Work to Earn Social Security?
Many American workers, of course, spend an entire career contributing to Social Security and are, thus, easily entitled to a benefit when they reach their retirement age. But what about those who don’t spend an entire lifetime contributing to Social…
Social Security for Married Couples
Social Security is a retirement benefit earned by those who work and contribute to the program. But it’s also more than that, because a worker’s spouse may be also entitled to benefits, even if they haven’t earned their own Social…
You Could Pay a Higher Medicare Premium
Many beneficiaries, especially new ones, aren’t aware that Medicare Part B is a “means tested” program, which means that if your income is high enough, you will pay more than the standard Part B premium ($170.10 for 2022). This is…
How to Qualify for Social Security Benefits
The fundamentals of Social Security are pretty simple – you contribute to the program from your earnings during your working years, in return for which you get a monthly benefit payment when you retire. Simple, right? Yes, except that there…
“Unretirement” is the New Trend
Whether for financial reasons, or because aging seniors simply want to continue being productive and interactive, a rapidly emerging American phenomenon is retirees returning to the workforce. Some seniors retire from a long professional career only to find they need…
Retirement Planning: Is Your 401(k) Sufficient?
A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement plan which allows you to contribute and invest funds from your current earnings for your future retirement. Often, employers will also contribute a percentage of what you contribute on your own – a great…
Deciding When To Claim Social Security
The most frequently asked question at the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service is “when should I claim my Social Security?” The response is almost always “It depends” because a number of factors should be considered when making that decision,…
Check Your Social Security – Even If You’re Younger
Despite all the doomsday predictions by “armchair experts” about Social Security going bankrupt, the program can’t, and won’t, go bankrupt, although some future changes are definitely needed and will surely be made in the program’s financial structure. Statistically, about 50%…