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Social Security touches the lives of most Americans
Few would question that Social Security is America’s most popular, and most beneficial benefit program. The program touches the lives of nearly all American’s whether that be workers who pay into the system, retirees who have reached their golden years,…
An SSA warning about phone scams
We’ve published many articles on this website about scammers posing as Social Security representatives, but the pervasiveness of the problem bears frequent repeating. In this Walterboro (SC) Live article by the Social Security Administration’s Public Affairs Specialist Tony Williams, the author…
Alarming misconceptions about Social Security
In an alarming study conducted by the National Retirement Institute, nearly half of Americans planning to retire in the next 10 years view Social Security as their primary source of future retirement income. Yet the average Social Security benefit check…
Social Security’s reserves could be gone by 2035
We’ve covered this topic in these pages numerous times before, but this article by Ernest Welin appearing in the Sarasota, FL Herald-Tribune covers the topic especially well. Social Security reserves, now standing at about $2.895 trillion, will start to be…
Have a plan for claiming Social Security, but be flexible enough to adjust
Everyone’s plan for when to claim their Social Security benefit is, or should be, based upon sound analysis which include financial goals, health and expected longevity. And most people now know that waiting as long as possible, even to age…
Can I count on Social Security being there for me?
The fact that Social Security has financial issues is fairly well known at this point, giving rise to the question – largely from those yet to start their benefits – as to whether it will be there for them when…
Social Security benefits for spouses and ex-spouses
Spousal benefits are arguably the most complex segment of Social Security’s myriad rules and regulations, of which there are over 2,700. Sorting through all of the various options available to spouses, including when to take the benefit, how it is…
Why checking your Social Security earning record is important
Although there is sometimes a misunderstanding of exactly how your earnings are used to figure your benefits, most people are keenly aware that their earnings are what eventually determines their Social Security benefit amount. In reality, it’s your 35 highest-earning years which are…
The consequences of claiming Social Security early
In this Yahoo! Finance article by Maurie Backman of the Motley Fool, the author describes how the age at which you start collecting Social Security affects your benefit amount. Collecting before your full retirement age – between 66 and 67…
Claim benefits at 62? Or wait?
Sure, 62 is the age at which you become eligible for Social Security, but taking benefits at that age will mean that you’ll get between 25% and 30% less than you would get by waiting until you reach your “full…