Q & A
Ask Rusty – Must I Enroll in Medicare at Age 65?
Dear Rusty: I will be turning 65 next month, I am currently retired and I am not on Social Security. My question is; Is there anything I have to do, if I don’t want Medicare? I am on my wife’s…
Ask Rusty – Why change Social Security now? It’s a working “Ponzi Scam”
Dear Rusty: Maybe everybody has the same reaction that I do to Social Security insolvency. I do not understand a system that has been basically run like a Ponzi Scam since its Inception; why have you decided (in 2026-2027) that…
Ask Rusty – Will Social Security Run Out of Money Soon?
Dear Rusty: I’m concerned about Social Security running out of funding, since I rely on it for my income and I’m at an age where my having to go back to work is not an option I can consider. The…
Ask Rusty – We Were Bitten by Medicare’s IRMAA this year; What Should I Do?
Dear Rusty: My wife and I file our taxes jointly. In 2024, I took an IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) which was significantly more than I was required to take. My Medicare premiums were not affected in 2025, and our…
Ask Rusty – Is the Medicare Part B Premium a Percentage of our Social Security Amount?
Dear Rusty: I have a simple question: Is the amount we pay for Medicare Part B premium a percent of our Social Security amount we receive? Signed: Curious Dear Curious: Your Medicare Part B premium is not based on a…
Ask Rusty – When Should My Wife File for Spouse Benefits?
Dear Rusty: My wife is 66 (born February 1960) and started taking Social Security retirement benefits just over one year ago at age 65. She was a stay-at-home Mom for most of her adult life. I turned 62 this past March, filed for benefits,…
Ask Rusty – I Was Cheated; I Delayed Claiming SS but Didn’t Get My Full Benefits
Dear Rusty: I’m 70 now and took my Social Security benefits at age 68. Social Security would not allow me to take all my increased percentage earned by waiting until age 68 to claim. My local Social Security office said I would get an increased…
Ask Rusty – Can my spouse file at 63 and then get half of mine when I later claim?
Dear Rusty: My spouse is 63 and I am 65. I am planning to take my Social Security benefits at age 70. Can my lower earning spouse take his own benefits now, and then – when I take my full…
Ask Rusty – Why Doesn’t My Social Security Record Show All My Military Earnings?
Dear Rusty: When I look at my earnings on my Social Security account, I see that in 1955 and 1956 have no earnings. I was in the U.S. Navy as a first officer and have my DD-214 paperwork which shows my military service…
Ask Rusty – When Should My Wife Claim Social Security?
Dear Rusty: We could use guidance on optimum dates for my spouse to begin taking Social Security (SS). She doesn’t have enough work credits on her own, so she will be using mine for spousal benefits. I was born in…