Social Security
Some Social Rule Changes Could Benefit Seniors
There’s no question that the Social Security rulebook is complex. Of course, you need rules to manage a program affecting 75 million people. Still, sometimes it becomes obvious to many that there are specific directives that ought to be examined…
COLA Watch 2026…A Slight Bump Up
With recent indicators showing a slight, but apparently controlled, increase in living costs, pundits are rethinking what the January Social Security cost-of-living adjustment might be. Just a few weeks ago, 2.6% seemed to be the consensus. With the data released…
The “No Tax on Social Security” Pledge Re-Visited
It’s been over a month since the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law, and the full weight of this potentially temporary tax break for seniors is settling in. As most know, President Trump’s campaign pledge to end…
Understanding Social Security’s Lump-Sum Death Benefit.
One of the misunderstandings we encounter at the AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory Service is the belief that Social Security pays a lump sum benefit to family members in the event of a beneficiary’s death. This is partially true, depending…
Senate Bill S.4877 Would Buy 19 Years
Titled the “Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act,” S.4877 recently introduced by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), would extend the full depletion of Social Security’s trust funds an additional 19 years, to 2054. The length of the extension was…
Time to think about next year’s Social Security COLA.
We’re still about two months away from an official announcement, but the media airwaves are popping with estimates of what next year’s adjustment will be. Some projections put the increase at 2.5%, others leaning toward 2.6% or 2.7%, but it’s…
Claiming Social Security while working can reduce your benefits.
This is true (emphasis on “can”), but many folks mistakenly believe that no matter how old you are, you shouldn’t take Social Security when you’re working because you’ll lose benefits. This misunderstanding is most likely attributed to the Social Security Administration’s…
Thoughts on Preparing Financially for Retirement
As suggested in an earlier post, seniors thinking about how they’ll survive financially in their retirement years is casting a pall on those “golden years.” And to put a finer point on the issue, an article posted by ainvest.com suggests…
Gloomy Outlook Causing Many to Rethink Retirement
With inflation and steadily rising healthcare costs in the picture, many peak-65ers appear to be hedging their plans to jump into retirement. The Alliance for Lifetime Income (ALI)’s 2025 Protected Retirement Income and Planning (PRIP) Study concludes that fear of…
How Lack of Understanding Drives Perceptions of Social Security
CATO Institute’s recent Social Security survey produced results that indicate a fairly broad misunderstanding of the program’s fundamentals. For example, more than half of the 2,200 survey participants were not aware of the “pay as you go” formula used by…