Latest News
How Years Out of the Workforce Impact Benefits
Future retirees who, for one reason or another, have stepped away from the taxpaying workforce for extended periods need to be aware of the process for calculating their eventual Social Security benefits. Although often viewed as a bit arcane, this…
SSA Service Improvements Reported, but Questioned
The Social Security Administration (SSA) continues to respond to recent staffing and administrative changes and has indicated substantial improvements in handling incoming telephone calls and in reducing disability backlogs. All of that, of course, is good news for seniors who…
A Reflection on the 2026 COLA
The recent announcement of a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits has been widely panned as inadequate given the economic environment seniors face. Sure, it’s more than last year’s 2.5 percent, but many pundits note that the…
“It’s your job to educate yourself…”
Former Social Security Administration director of public information Tom Margenau, a 32-year veteran of various positions in the agency, has a direct style when answering questions — and complaints — about agency services. In media vernacular, he tells it like…
The Medicare Premium Impact of COLA
In all the hoopla surrounding last week’s announcement of the 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, many media accounts gloss over the effect of Medicare’s premium increase. And it’s a big effect, since it amounts to an 11.6 percent increase in…
Questioning Social Security’s Future…
Social Security’s future for today’s younger workers is in transition. There’s no question about that, given the ongoing commentary on the program’s trust funds’ impending insolvency. For example, the just-completed transition to age 67 as the full retirement age (FRA)…
Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026
The awaited announcement of the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment has finally been made. Please see this article from the Social Security Administration. Also, if you’re unsure about how these basics apply to you, or if you have any questions…
Retrospective on “WEP/GPO”
This article on the elimination of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provides a union-perspective of those two Social Security (SS)provisions and how their recent elimination affects nearly 3.1 million public servants. Essentially, the provisions…
“No tax on Social Security:” Here’s the real story
Be careful of campaign promises and political spin – they don’t all happen, and sometimes they may actually happen, but take an unusual and different approach. Such is the case with the bold assertion by the Administration that “income tax…
COLA will be announced today! Do you understand the process?
Historically, the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to everyone’s Social Security benefit is announced on October 15th, but this year the announcement was delayed to October 24th because of the government shutdown. Thus, today is a big day for…