seniors
Social Security: Claiming early vs. waiting for higher benefits
Claiming Social Security “early” (before full retirement age) is still the most popular option for many American seniors, even though they know waiting longer will substantially improve their monthly benefit. Two recent surveys revealed that nearly half of unretired Americans…
Demystifying Social Security’s “Earnings Test”
Social Security’s “Earnings Test” These days, working throughout one’s sixties and into and even beyond one’s seventies is very common. Recognizing that reality – and considering another which shows that most people today claim Social Security benefits in their early…
Thinking of Retiring Early? Read this first.
Early retirement – that is, retiring from your working career and living a life of ease and comfort – is something that all of us dream about as we approach our senior years. And while it is certainly a good…
Concerned about Social Security? Don’t be!
If you pay attention at all to media accounts and armchair pundits, you are already aware that Social Security has a looming solvency issue, expected to come to a head in less than a decade. According to the Trustees of…
Demystifying Child-in-Care Spouse Benefits
A Spouse Can Get Social Security Benefits Before Age 62 Most couples know that age 62 is the normal minimum age to apply for Social Security spousal benefits. But many are not aware that spouse benefits are available to spouses…
Will Social Security and Medicare Benefits Continue with the Government Shutdown?
The “government shutdown,” resulting from a disagreement between political parties on whether to continue funding the government while certain issues are unresolved, will likely continue for a while yet, according to this Motley Fool article. But will that affect your…
Medicare Open Enrollment & the Government Shutdown
As many already know, Medicare’s annual “open enrollment” period started on October 15th and will run through December 7th. This is the annual period when you can make changes to your healthcare coverage by switching from “original Medicare” to a…
Demystifying Your Social Security Benefit
Your Social Security Benefit Winston Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as “a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery.” That is also an apt way to describe your Social Security benefit, or so it seems when trying to…
COLA and You!
In mid-October every year, we learn what our Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will be for the upcoming year. For most seniors, their Social Security payment is a major source of income, and COLA is applied to your SS monthly…
Ask Rusty – Do I Need to Sign Up for an Online Social Security Account?
Dear Rusty: I recently I heard the tail end of a radio program which was discussing “signing up for my Social Security account.” I am now 76 years old and have been receiving my SSA monthly amount directly into a…