Social Security
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…
Claiming Social Security in 2026? Here’s how to prepare.
Are you planning to take your Social Security benefits in 2026? Then it is important to be aware of several changes which can permanently affect your monthly benefit amount, and how you pay income tax on your benefits. Your benefit…
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…
Another day, another Social Security scam
Did you receive a personalized letter signed by Chief Justice John Robetrs and Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor? If so, it is a scam according to the Social Security Administration’s office of the Inspector General. The letter warns the…
Going back to the basics
Many people are afraid of cuts to Medicare and Social Security. According to a new survey by NerdWallet, 70 percent of Medicare recipients are concerned that their benefits will be reduced in their lifetime. “When you have worries like this,…
Preserving your purchasing power
We have all heard the phrase “purchasing power,” but what does it mean to the average pre- and post-retiree? Purchasing power is “the value or buying capacity of your fixed retirement income in the face of inflation.” We have also…