social security

Happy birthday, SSI!

I was playing one of my morning online word puzzles when up popped a little blurb from a senior citizen advocacy group announcing that the Supplemental Security Income program has recently turned 50 years old.

Don't overthink

I frequently get emails from readers who turn a little molehill of an issue into a big mountain of a problem, and it has to do with the starting date for their Social Security benefits.

Delayed retirement credits

People who delay starting their Social Security beyond their full retirement age get a bonus equal to two-thirds of 1% added to their Social Security checks for each month they wait to begin benefits.

Privatizing Social Security can't work

About a month or so ago, I wrote a column in which I just briefly mentioned that any plans to privatize Social Security would never work, and I said I had covered that topic in prior columns.

Sometimes, you just can't win

I’ll tell you this: Sometimes, you just can’t win. I’ve learned over the years that you have to have a pretty thick skin to be a Social Security columnist.

Nothing special about age 70

I wrote a recent column in which I pointed out that waiting until 70 to start your Social Security, which is the mantra of almost everyone who is trying to “maximize” their retirement benefit, is not always the smartest move.

More mailbag questions

Last week, instead of writing a column centered around just one Social Security topic, I decided to just reach into my electronic mailbag (my email inbox) and answer whatever questions I pulled out of there. But I ran out of column space before I ran out of questions.

Reach in the mailbag

I usually like to write columns centered on one particular Social Security topic. But every once in a while, I just like to reach into my email inbox and answer whatever questions I pull out of that online mailbag. Q: I am 82. My wife is 80. We both took our benefits at 66. I get $2,444 per month.

Social Security benefits are not prorated

Q: It has always puzzled me why Social Security takes back a person’s Social Security check for the month he or she dies. My aunt died in April, and as her executor, I was counting on using her last Social Security check to pay off some of her bills. But the government took that money away from me.

Don't wait until you're 70

Older adults across the country are bombarded with invitations to attend seminars that allegedly will clue them in on a supposed “secret” to maximizing their Social Security benefits.