You’ve saved well, invested responsibly and accumulated more assets that you’ll need in your retirement.  When you pass away, there will be something left over for you to leave to your beneficiaries.  Leaving your Social Security benefit to someone else really isn’t an option though, so if leaving assets to others is something you’d like […]

Sometimes things that look simple and easy to understand can have a hidden “but” or two that makes them a little more confusing and complicated than you first imagined. For those eligible for Social Security survivor benefits, one item with a few such “buts” is their Full Retirement Age. Your Full Retirement Age for Retirement Benefits Long-time […]

We received the following question from a reader this week: “My mother will be turning 65 this year and is trying to figure out how to maximize her SS benefit. She did not work the 40 quarters required to have a personal benefit. However, my father worked and paid in while he worked prior to […]

In the past we have discussed how you can create an online account with Social Security.  This will give you access to your earnings record, the ability to file certain benefit claims, get statements, etc.  We have also warned everyone that if they get blocked trying to create this online account that it may be […]

For quite some time now there has been a movement afoot to “privatize” Social Security. The argument for privatization promotes the view that individuals would be able to generate far greater lifetime income if they did not have to contribute to Social Security. The premise is based on the belief that if workers were allowed […]

A little issue has come to our attention with regard to the way Social Security offices process your application for benefits once you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA).  This regulation/rule they follow may jeopardize your plan to increase your monthly benefit by taking advantage of Delayed Retirement Credits.  Most of you know that for every […]

We received the following email this week… “I have a dear friend who at age 60 lost his wife. She was on SS disability while she was sick. When she passed away he went to SS (in DE) to get the $250 for funeral expenses. He sold his home and moved to Maine, then turned […]

Looks like another Social Security office has confusion over the “Grace Year”.  Even though we have covered this recently I am choosing to post on it again since there is still a lot of confusion for not just the public, but for the Social Security offices themselves.  We received the following this week: “I’ll be […]

Working in a job that participates in the SS system prior to claiming Social Security (SS) Retirement Benefits generally will increase your benefit as you first accumulate your 40 credits of coverage and then as you amass your 35 computational years of earnings history. But how does work after “retirement” affect your benefits?  These days […]

We recently received this excellent question regarding spousal child in care benefits, so I want to share it with all of you. “My husband filed for SS at 62. He did not work much and his benefit is just under $400 with another just over $200 for our 15-year-old daughter. Now the SSA has said […]