Start 2020 Thinking About Social Security Issues and Options
The month of December for most of us is immersed in celebrations, pageant’s, football, parades, writing and mailing Christmas cards, decorating, cooking, parties and family. We are all over the top BUSY – BUSY and actually anticipate the colder, slower month of January to simply re-load. Don’t get me wrong, we all love Christmas and […]
Minimum Widow Benefits
Widow benefits are indeed complex and have options available that other benefits do not. With that being said, we will try and explain some of these additional options. First of all, widow/widower benefits (Survivor benefits) are available at age 60 or 50 if disabled; other benefits start at age 62. If you start drawing these […]
Currently Insured Status
There is a special rule for those who do not meet the requirements for “Fully Insured Status” and it is called “Currently Insured Status”. It can be considered a backup that gives only partial protection for your family. If you are “currently insured”, there are only two types of survivors that can be paid your […]
Situational Social Security
Social Security is available at age 62 for all those that have earned this benefit. But, the age at which you claim can make a huge difference in your financial health during those remaining retirement years. Every situation is different – everyone has a unique earnings history, everyone needs or wants to retire for different […]
Mama Stayed at Home to Raise the Kids
You would be surprised the number of couples we see where the Mom did not work, or barely worked, and does not know if there are any options available regarding Social Security. If married and your husband qualifies for benefits, yes you do. Many rules and regulations to wade through but don’t lose heart! I […]
Social Security Inspector General’s Audit
On Valentine’s Day, the audit report from the Social Security Inspector General’s office was released – this audit was regarding internal controls about informing widows and widowers concerning their benefit options. The report found that 82% of current beneficiaries who are entitled to two benefits, were not informed of their options that would have resulted […]
Is A Social Security Review Necessary?
Had a phone call last week from a client that was excited about retiring, and excited about the options we presented to him about his Social Security benefits. Over the years, he has been a great referral resource for our business. He called to tell me about two gentleman he talked to that were nearing […]
Social Security is Part of the Puzzle
We have been writing these articles for over 5 years and have never had the response like we had to the recent article “Is a Review Necessary?” My phone literally tore up the airwaves from Jackson, MS north with readers and intelligent questions. Thank you. People are starting to get the point that Social Security […]
35 Years and Counting
Social Security benefits are a primary source of income for many Americans. For a quarter of married couples and almost half of unmarried persons, this benefit provides more than 90% of income during retirement. Therefore, it is important to understand how the program works. In particular, you should at least understand how your benefits are […]
Does It Matter Who Dies First?
None of us have a crystal ball, so if married or previously married, we have no idea who will be the remaining spouse. To be honest, we probably wouldn’t want to know. But, we can all make reasonable assumptions about our life expectancy. We can use an online calculator, we can look at our parent’s […]
