Latest News
On Social Security benefits becoming taxable income
In what is unfortunately a surprise to many Social Security beneficiaries, benefits may become taxable income. For the IRS, your total “combined income” – which includes your regular adjusted gross income, plus any non-taxable interest you might have, plus 50% of your…
GOP’s Brady pushes for bipartisan Social Security reform
In a call for bipartisan cooperation in a House Ways & Means Committee hearing, Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) touted America’s renewed economic prosperity as a catalyst for continuing last years progress on America’s retirement security with reforms to the Social Security program.…
Opinion: The proposed Social Security 2100 Act misses an important issue
The reintroduced (from 2017) Social Security 2100 Act has garnered much attention recently, especially since a hearing on retirement security revealed a remarkable bipartisan pledge for lawmakers to work together to reform Social Security. But, in the opinion of this…
Are illegal immigrants draining Social Security?
It’s a refrain we often see floating around the internet – “illegal immigrants are draining Social Security”. But despite the persistence of that rumor, it’s simply not true. Though they might strain social benefit programs in other ways, Illegal immigrants are not…
House Ways & Means Committee discusses Social Security reform
In what appeared to be a refreshing example of bipartisanship, members of the new House Ways & Means Committee held a 4 hour hearing to discuss retirement income security, and Social Security was center stage during those discussions. Among the main…
Filing for SS early means a permanent reduction
In this article appearing at NJ.com, Karin Price Mueller fields a question from someone who filed early for Social Security benefits and expected to be able to re-file for a higher benefit at full retirement age. Despite the questioner’s belief…
SSA requesting input on chronic pain for disability purposes
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a program which provides income for eligible workers who become totally disabled. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a sister government “means-tested” program which provide supplemental income for disabled children and disabled seniors with very…
File your income tax return early to protect against IRS scammers
Scammers don’t only target your Social Security benefits; they also target your Federal income tax refund. Once they have your personal information they can fairly easily file a fraudulent Federal income tax return to claim a refund and have it…
65 is when you should take Medicare, but it isn’t your Social Security “full retirement age”
Many people are under the false impression that because age 65 is when you become eligible for Medicare, that is the same age at which you should apply for Social Security. And that is absolutely not true. For anyone claiming Social…
Need your SSA-1099 for taxes? Here’s how to get it
We’re now into the annual income tax season, which can be a time of stress for anyone trying to locate and compile all the various forms and receipts needed to complete your Federal and State income tax returns. The Social…