Social Security
Attention, Millennials: Don’t Give Up on Social Security!
The popular media hasn’t been kind to Social Security in the recent past, using words like “bankrupt” and phrases like “the money has been stolen” to suggest where the program is headed in less than a decade. It’s unfortunate that…
That “Final” Benefit Check—A Source of Some Confusion
A Social Security beneficiary’s passing is generally a traumatic time for all concerned, and a variety of details and things that need to be addressed often create stress and concern on the part of the survivors. One of them is…
Social Security Reform: A “Rocks and Hard Places” Story
Everyone who has been tracking the progression toward insolvency facing Social Security knows the broad scenario…without Congressional action, the Trust Fund reserves reach zero in less than a decade from now and benefits face an across-the-board cut of more than…
Thoughts for Those Struggling on Social Security as Their Primary Income Source
The absence of adequate savings to compensate for the shortfalls between Social Security benefits and living expense is a problem widely covered in the media, especially as Social Security’s looming solvency crisis grinds forward. In fact, for the 12% to…
Formula Changes–and an Adjustment–in the Wind for WEP-affected Retirees?
A post today on myfederalretirement.com highlights the reintroduced legislation to reform Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). As the post explains, the bill (H.R. 4260) would provide a $150/month payment to those WEP-affected retirees currently in drawing benefits, and would change the…
On the Issue of Social Security Means Testing…
One of the ideas being explored these days is the thought that Social Security benefits for the ultra-wealthy should be perhaps curtailed or even eliminated. It’s not necessarily a new thought, since it has come up more than once over…
The Often Misunderstood Subject of Spousal Benefits–Some Clarifying Comments
Questions about benefits available to spouses fall into the most active category we deal with at the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service. For example, in 2022 the topics of spousal benefits and survivor benefits accounted for nearly a quarter…
Subtle Missteps That Can Lead to You Short-Changing Yourself on the Benefits Front
Even today, it’s surprising that many folks still are not fully aware of some of the very basic aspects that govern the amount of benefit they will be able to draw from Social Security. For example, our AMAC Foundation Social…
The On-Going “When to File” Debate…Another Perspective
One of the most persistent questions we receive here at the AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory Service is deceptively simple: “When should I begin drawing my earned Social Security benefit?” And as frustrating as it may seem to our callers,…
Social Security’s Peculiar “Entitlement” Dilemma
“What a curious power words have.” The subheading, attributed to Polish journalist and Auschwitz concentration camp survivor Tadeusz Borowski, puts a fine point on one of the most misunderstood terms used in political and cultural commentary regarding Social Security. To…