Tag: Social Security

1st Half of Potential $1,652 Direct Payment to Be Sent in Just 2 Weeks

Millions of Supplementary Security Income (SSI) recipients will get two payments in September due to timing. The first SSI payment totaling as much as $841 will be sent out starting on Sept. 1, while the second will arrive by the end of that month, according to the Social Security Administration. The payment is due to…


Another Misleading Headline

I don’t know how you folks get by without being scared out of your wits by misleading Social Security stories you read in newspapers or see online. Because I know the subject so well and because I can decipher the confusing and sometimes scary Social Security-related muck that’s out there, it doesn’t bother me. But…


Children as Contributions in Kind

Commentary Some years ago, when I was researching different social security systems, I stayed briefly with a German friend who had recently become a father. My friend told me of the time he and his wife were walking with their new baby when a stranger, seeing the infant in the stroller, thanked them for contributing…


Social Security Payments Set for Biggest Rise Since 1981

Social Security recipients may be due for the largest cost of living adjustment (COLA) to their benefits in decades, as the Social Security Administration prepares to address the impact of rampant inflation. According to a recent analysis by the Senior Citizens League, Social Security benefits are currently being eroded by inflation at a rate of…


Don’t Fall for Catchy and Scary Headlines

I guess I picked a bad title when I called my little guidebook “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” I’ll never attract readers and get rich with a boring title like that. Instead, I should have called it something like: “Buy This Book and Gets Thousands in Extra Social Security Benefits!” Or maybe, “Social Security Secrets…


Why Should You Believe Me?

I frequently hear from readers who tell me about Social Security-related advice they got from a friend or relative, or from a Social Security Administration representative. They are writing to ask me if the information they received is correct. Sometimes it is. But many times, it’s not. Actually, let me clarify that. Social Security information…


Sen. Ron Johnson Suggests Annual Review of Medicare, Social Security Spending for Better Oversight

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday suggested that Social Security and Medicare should no longer be classified as federal entitlement programs and instead the funds should be approved by Congress on a yearly basis in an effort to curb debt. The lawmaker made the comments during an Aug. 3 interview on “The Regular Joe Show,” a conservative radio program on WTAQ News…


The Shifting Sands of Social Security

You have worked your whole life for this moment: retirement. And since you paid into Social Security all those years, you may think you now have enough to live on. But, unfortunately, Social Security doesn’t cover all your living expenses. And it won’t help you with a prosperous retirement. Relying on Social Security for your…


Nothing That 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. But still many people insist on waiting until that alleged magic age to draw their…


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. So today, more random Social Security questions…