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We recently received an email question that asked us if it is true that people born in 1947 receive lower Social Security retirement benefits than others.  Believe it or not, it is absolutely TRUE!  As your mind starts to swirl wondering what it was about 1947 that caused Social Security to punish those who were […]

The fact that Medicare premiums are affected by Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) is a little known “side-effect” to a rule put in place by Congress to protect those receiving Social Security while in the Medicare system. Most people over age 65 are participating in the Medicare system.  Medicare Part A, sometimes called […]

Everyone who has recently gotten a new job knows that part of the hiring process involves digging up that Social Security card you may have not touched in many years.  Hopefully it was in a safe place, but what if you cannot find it?  Occasionally you may need to request a new card.  Here is […]

Sometimes Social Security benefits are paid in one lump sum, with two examples being Retroactive Benefits and Suspended Benefits.  We recently had a reader contact us asking how the taxes are calculated on these lump-sum benefits.  Let me first set the stage with the basic issues at hand: Retroactive Benefits Retroactive Benefits are those benefits […]

In the complex world of Social Security and Taxes, there are always little “issues” floating around that could come back to harm you if you make decisions while being unaware of all the consequences.  I am talking about legally reducing your taxes today and what effect you may see later on in your Social Security […]

The 2015 OASDI Trustees Report, officially called “The 2015 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds,” was recently released and has a few interesting items that Social Security recipients should know. The latest estimate for the depletion of the OASI trust fund […]

Effective May 19th, 2015 it is possible for some people to be eligible for the same Social Security benefits as spouses, even though they are/were not legally married.  A recent update to the Social Security operations manual (called the POMS or Program Operations Manual System) declares that the Social Security system will consider people as […]

We had someone write in recently asking us to confirm her plan for filing benefits.  She is divorced, but not remarried and currently age 59.  Her situation is this: She qualifies for a divorced spouse benefit based on her ex-spouses work record due to the fact that she was married at least 10 years. Her […]

We have often talked on this blog and our radio show about going to Social Security and “filing for you benefits.” All too often missed from the conversation is what you can expect when you go to file, and what information you may need to bring with you. Over the coming months we hope to […]

We recently were sent the following question… “I was married to my first husband for 12 years before I divorced him when I was 45.  I remarried when I was 50, but unfortunately that marriage ended last year when I was 61.  Am I able to collect any spousal benefits from either of them?  My […]