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Ask yourself this before claiming Social Security
If you’re at that magical time in your life that you’re considering laying claim to your Social Security benefits, then there are some important questions you should be asking yourself before you apply. Although it’s possible for you to start…
Rules for Retirement
So, you think now that you’re retired there are no rules you need to live by? Well, guess again, because unless you exercise considerable care and follow these “rules” for retirement, you may have some tough sailing along the way. From…
A working couple: When one retires ahead of the other
Deciding when to retire from a lifetime career is a decision which can never be taken lightly, especially if you are one half of a working couple. While couples often view retirement a something they enter into together, there are…
What happens when you exceed Social Security’s “earnings limit”?
Working while you’re collecting Social Security can have consequences if you haven’t yet reached your full retirement age and you earn enough to exceed Social Security’s annual “earnings limit”. If that happens, Social Security will reduce your benefits by an…
When to take Social Security at age 62
The fact is, 62 is the most popular age to file for Social Security benefits, but many who do so file simply because it’s there. A far better approach to deciding when to file for your Social Security benefit is to…
If you’re working, there’s no avoiding the FICA tax
Though it comes as a surprise to many people, if you work and you’re collecting Social Security you must continue to pay FICA taxes. And to add to the misunderstanding, many people feel that because they’re continuing to contribute to…
Appealing a Social Security disability denial could take years
There are now nearly a million Social Security disability appeal cases awaiting action and, although the case backlog has recently been declining, the average wait time for a hearing is about 600 days. That’s a painfully long time if you’re…
Divorce to get higher Social Security benefit?
In a new twist on strategy, a writer opines that she and her husband may be entitled to higher Social Security benefits if they were to legally divorce, even if they continued to cohabitate. Although there is a lot of…
Reviewing 2018 Social Security and Medicare changes
Though we’re well into the year, now might be a good time to review the changes that were made to both Social Security and Medicare for 2018, if only as a reminder of what could also change next year. Certain Social…
April is National Social Security Month
The Social Security Administration has declared April as National Social Security Month”, and that means they are focused on bringing you information about the array of services available to you through this government Agency so critical to your retirement well being.…