retirement
Ask Rusty – Are Spousal Benefits Always a Factor?
Dear Rusty: Both my wife and I have worked our entire lives. When we retire, will we both be entitled to full benefit amount each, or will there always be a spousal factor in there? Also, how are those benefits…
Dissatisfaction with Social Security’s COLA Highlighted by Study
This isn’t really news, but many seniors have concerns about the 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment set to kick in next month. These concerns focus on a few well-known and frequently discussed criticisms of the current process, specifically that the adjustment is…
A Statistical Look at the “Worst” Ages to Claim Benefits
The question of when to file for Social Security retirement benefits is one of the most frequent queries we receive here at the AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory Service. When responding, we typically begin our discussion with “Well, it depends,”…
Op-ed: Raising Social Security Retirement Age Can Help Ease Insolvency issue
Brenton Smith, a policy adviser to the Heartland Institute, explains there is no one solution to fix Social Security’s ills. The program will be unable to pay full benefits in about a decade. Raising the retirement age should be a…
Retirement & the sheer joy of continuing to work
Why are so many 70, 80, and yes 90 year olds still working when you can start Social Security benefits as early as 62? The answers to why work are a complex mix of, “I want to; I love to;…
More Thoughts on the “When to File” Dilemma
What’s the best age at which to claim your Social Security benefits? This is far and away one of the top questions we receive here at the AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory Service. The answer we provide generally tends to…
Understanding Your Return on Investment in Social Security and Medicare
Many folks who have spent decades in the workforce, paying the Federal Income Contributions Tax (FICA) all those years, wonder if they’ll live long enough to fully recoup those dollars paid into the system. It’s a concern we hear often…
Some Basics on When and How to File for Social Security
Social Security probably looks fairly complicated for those approaching eligibility for benefits, but for a major portion of the population, the process is somewhat straightforward. There are just some basic (and deceptively simple) questions to ask, like what’s the best…
Women and Social Security–An Explanation of Why Their Concerns are More Prominent
There is a disparity between the comfort levels men and women have with respect to the role that Social Security will play in their future retirement, according to the Women and Wealth segment of Northwestern Mutual’s 2023 Planning & Progress…
Considering Drawing Benefits at Age 62? Here’s Something More to Think About.
The earliest year of Social Security eligibility is age 62. Most folks approaching that age know this, and it is still the most popular age for initial filing. But one thing that tends to get lost in the excitement of…