Q & A
My dad is finding it hard to pay for the prescription drugs he needs even though he has Medicare prescription coverage. Is there something else we can do?
Answer: If your father has limited income and resources, he may be eligible for extra help with Medicare prescription costs. This extra help’s estimated worth is about $4,000 per year toward his prescription costs. He can both learn whether he qualifies…
I’m thinking about getting disability protection from a private company. If I become disabled and have a private policy, would it reduce my Social Security disability benefit?
Answer: No. Having private insurance does not affect your eligibility for Social Security disability benefits.But, you may be interested to know that workers’ compensation and certain other public disability payments may affect your Social Security benefit. You can learn more and…
Do I have to give my Social Security number whenever I’m asked?
Answer: No. Giving your Social Security number is voluntary. If requested, you should ask why the person needs your Social Security number, how it will be used, what law requires you to give your number, and what the consequences are if…
What’s the actual dollar impact of maxing my Social Security?
Answer: Social Security may be your largest or one of your largest assets. How you manage it by deciding which benefits to collect and when can make an absolutely huge difference to your lifetime benefits. And those with the highest past covered earnings…
Medigap Vs. Medicare Advantage: Which Is Better?
Answer: Like any massive insurance enterprise, Medicare is confusing.Medicare.gov will give you hundreds of pages of explanation, but luckily, the basics of the program aren’t difficult to grasp. As the cliché goes, however, the devil is in the details. Medicare has four basic parts –…
Does Selling Your House Affect Eligibility For Assisted Living?
Full Question: I’m a realtor who’s listing a client’s home. She is on Social Security and is moving into assisted-living housing. Will the proceeds from the sale of her home affect her eligibility for housing, which is based on her income?…
Why does my spouse’s Social Security Statement show an estimated benefit less than what it would be as a survivor’s benefit?
Full Question: I always thought that my surviving spouse would get an amount equal to my Social Security amount when they reach full retirement age unless their own Social Security is larger. Recently I pulled a statement from the Social Security…
Can I collect Social Security on my husband’s record (he was on SSDI)?
Full Question: My husband began receiving Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits around age 57. He recently died at age 60; I am 65 but still working till my full-retirement age. His SSDI was $450 higher than my SS will be at…
What are the implications of taking Social Security at 62 while still working?
Full Question: My wife will turn 62 in one month. She is working full time and would like to continue until 64. I will be 70 within 5 months, retired but have not applied for Social Security as yet. Can my…
How do you correct Social Security errors?
Full Question: I am 64. I recently reviewed my Social Security summary online and saw that it does not have an accurate listing of my income, so the projections of my benefits aren’t accurate either. How do I correct these errors?…