Latest News
Divorcing to get survivor benefits from an ex-spouse
In his regular “Social Security Matters” column, retired long-time Social Security employee Tom Margenau discusses a question which occasionally arises in Social Security circles: Should I divorce my current spouse to collect a higher survivor benefit from my deceased ex-spouse?…
An example of a scam Social Security call
Scammers never take a holiday, and are always hard at work trying to get you to fall for their tactics to relieve you of your money. The latest scam is a robo-call purporting to be from Social Security, threatening to have…
Responding to questions about Medicare and Social Security
Philip Moeller is a well known and highly respected author on financial matters, including the topics of Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Moeller is a frequent contributor to PBS News Hour, and in his column today he responds to a…
Social Security shouldn’t be your primary source of income
All you need to do is compare the average Social Security monthly benefit amount of $1460 to your actual monthly living expenses to understand with complete clarity that Social Security isn’t, and was never meant to be, a primary source of…
WV proposes eliminating State tax on Social Security
There are now only 13 U.S. states which levy a tax on Social Security income but, if West Virginia’s governor has his way, that number will soon go to twelve. In his State of the State address yesterday, Gov. Jim Justice…
Planning for your retirement? Here’s what NOT to do
Retirement planning is, at best, an un-exact science. After all, who can accurately predict the future with any great degree of accuracy. That’s true, of course, but having a firm grip on what you should NOT do as you plan…
Social Security wasn’t on the radar in elections
There’s always a lot of political rhetoric when it comes to Social Security, but in the recent midterm elections it seems as though none of the candidates espoused any real position on the benefit program that over 63 million Americans…
Why you shouldn’t claim Social Security at 62
Age 62 is a bit of a milestone for most people, because it is that age at which they can start collecting Social Security earned from a lifetime of working. But is it the best age for claiming those benefits…
Fixing Social Security’s financial woes
It’s all over the news these days that Social Security will “go broke” and is (or will soon be) “insolvent”. While neither of these are true, there can be no doubt that, as evidenced by the recent Trustees’ Report, the Social…
Dissatisfied with your Medicare Advantage Plan? Change it now
Even though you may have selected a Medicare Advantage plan during last fall’s Open Enrollment Period, you might have found upon reflection or further research that the plan you picked isn’t really the right one for you. Well, here some…