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When will you see your COLA increase?
If you receive a Social Security check, you will soon see your COLA increase in your monthly payments. The cost-of-living adjustment is applied in December, but you do not receive the check until January. The payment dates are determined based…
Working while on Social Security
Social Security is flexible in some ways but in others not so much. One way Social Security is flexible is working while on Social Security. However, you need to understand the rules involved in working while collecting your benefits. In…
3 Reasons You May Get Stuck With a Smaller Social Security Benefit
Maurie Backman warns readers that they may get a permanently reduced monthly Social Security benefit for life if they do three things. First, failing to work 35 years means less than otherwise, as “zeros” are factored into the calculation. Second,…
Side Hustles To Supplement Your Social Security
John Csiszar of Yahoo Finance notes there are ways to supplement Social Security benefits, which only replaces about 40% of pre-retirement income. He also notes ‘side hustles’ in retirement can be a way to keep your mental focus sharp and to…
Your First Social Security Check of 2022 Will Look Different
Christy Bieber takes readers through the 5.9% cost of living adjustment (COLA) that will be applied to all beneficiaries’ direct deposits in January. She compares that with recent COLAs, all of which were quite miserly in comparison. Bieber also explains…
Learn as much as you can before claiming Social Security
Liz Weston of MarketWatch urges people not to let Social Security representatives alone to talk them into any decisions as important and life altering as starting Social Security benefits. Social Security employees aren’t supposed to give advice, just education. But…
Are You on Track for the Max Social Security Benefit?
The maximum Social Security benefit in 2022 will be $4,194 per month. But who can get that? Maurie Backman explains in this piece. The key is delaying benefits as long as possible, to age 70. Also, very high earnings are…
Key numbers for Americans to remember in 2022
Paul Brandus of MarketWatch lists a plethora of important figures related to Social Security, Medicare, health care, retirement savings, and more in this piece. Inflation is the big story, of course, and it hurts those who have little if any…
The Best Reason to Take Social Security Long Before 70
Kailey Hagen bucks conventional wisdom and most experts who say wait as long as possible to take Social Security benefits to get as high a monthly payment for life as one can. Hagen notes that for some people, delaying Social…
Social Security COLAs, high inflation, and Medicare premiums
Lorie Konish of CNBC explains how the 5.9% cost of living adjustment (COLA) will impact people. She notes the latest figures on inflation show it at 6.8% year over year. Medicare premiums are on the rise, though all but higher…