Earnings Test
Key Social Security Changes Set to Hit in January
The 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced last month is generally known at this point, but there are two additional key changes that folks need to keep in mind. For example, the annual limit on taxable earnings increases starting in January,…
Are you Collecting Social Security benefits early and Still Working? You need to Know About the Retirement Earnings Test!
Many retirees who are under Full Retirement Age, getting benefits and still working do not understand how the Retirement Earnings Test works. If you earn over the limit ($22,320.00 in 2024) Social Security will take back $1.00 for every $2.00…
Thoughts on Avoiding Retirement Mistakes
As you begin to examine Social Security and reflect on the options available to you, it’s important to consider which options might cause you discomfort later in your retired life. Some of these options result in lower monthly benefits, some…
Before you claim your benefits at 62
You can receive Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62; however, you will receive a reduced benefit. Although you will receive more checks than other Social Security recipients who filed later, it does not mean you will receive…
Ask Rusty – Will my WEP Reduction Go Away if I Continue Working?
Dear Rusty: I’m 63 years old and have not yet started my Social Security. I now work for the State of Illinois and will draw a pension from that state’s university system. I don’t pay into Social Security from this…
The Social Security earnings test
You can start your Social Security retirement benefits at 62 but at a reduced rate. According to statistics released by the Social Security Administration, almost 30 percent of Americans eligible for Social Security begin to receive their benefits at 62.…
With the new year comes some changes to Social Security
New Year, a new Social Security program; some parts of it anyway. Every year, changes happen to Social Security automatically, which helps recipients of this program keep up with the cost of living. Kailey Hagen reports on the three changes…
Is it possible to lose some of your Social Security?
As part of the “three-legged” stool of retirement planning, Social Security should play an equally important role along with pensions and retirement savings; however, for some people, Social Security is the only leg of that stool. So, it is essential…
What you should know about Social Security
The Social Security Administration states more than 50 percent of seniors aged 65 and above rely on Social Security for more than half of their monthly income. Another report finds that 40 percent of older Americans rely only on Social…
Revisiting Some Lesser-Known Social Security Rules
For someone beginning to take their first preparatory look at Social Security, the basics are fairly well known. Age 62 is your early eligibility (with reduced monthly benefits), your full retirement age is based on your year of birth (if…