Q & A
Ask Rusty – Father Seeks Benefits for Disabled Adult Son
Dear Rusty: We have a 100% disabled son, disabled from birth. He is now 35 years old and receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). My wife and I plan to retire in the next two years and start drawing our Social…
Ask Rusty – Should I Marry My Girlfriend?
Dear Rusty: My girlfriend of nine years will be 66 on June 4th next year. It was her plan to begin taking half of her ex-husband’s SS at that time allowing hers to grow until she reached 70 at which…
Ask Rusty – Writer disagrees about the Social Security Trust Fund
Dear Rusty: Sometimes words used have different meaning to others, like your recent article on the Social Security “Trust Fund.” In a true trust fund monies are only used for a specific purpose. Our so-called Social Security Trust Fund doesn’t…
Ask Rusty – Medicare Late Enrollment Penalty
Dear Rusty: I’ve never been a fan of socialized medicine, so wasn’t happy with that whole “Great Society” thing that happened back in the 1960’s, which is where Medicare started. Just on principle, I refused to sign up for Medicare…
Ask Rusty – A “Surprise” Medicare Premium Increase
Dear Rusty: I don’t know if my situation is unique but here it is. Years ago, I bought savings bonds to add to my retirement and now that I have cashed some in, I not only must pay income tax…
Ask Rusty – Explaining WEP and GPO
Dear Rusty: My wife is a retired Missouri teacher and now on Medicare. Unfortunately, due to the windfall elimination provision for teachers in our state, she cannot get Social Security. So, she must pay for her Medicare. I’ve never quite…
Ask Rusty – Changed my mind after claiming Social Security
Dear Rusty: I will be 67 years old this September and have been receiving my Social Security benefits since September of last year (2017). I’ve found that I do not need the money now, and since I don’t need the…
Ask Rusty – Declining Medicare Part B
Dear Rusty: Perhaps you could do an article about deferring Medicare Part B. I never found a way to formally “defer” part B, so apparently, we just ignore it if we have other qualified health insurance. I turned 65 in…
Ask Rusty – Should I claim Social Security at age 65?
Dear Rusty: Should I take Social Security at 65? My date of birth is August 1953 and I just signed up for both Social Security and Medicare. My plan was to start Medicare and Social Security at age 65, but…
Ask Rusty – Working, Earning, and Investing SS benefits
Dear Rusty: I am 63 ½ and working full time with a salary of $125,000/year. Given the early collection rules I believe it would not make any sense to start collecting Social Security now but tell me if I am…