Sometimes readers take me to task for not explaining a particular facet of the law when I write a column about some Social Security topic or another. I usually respond by pointing out that if I tried to cover every “if, and, or but” associated with whatever Social Security topic I am trying to explain,…
Don’t Blame the Government — Blame Yourself
May 10, 2022
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Sometimes people will write to me complaining that the government, specifically the Social Security Administration, has messed up and cheated them out of benefits they might have been due. But many times, the fault (to trivialize a famous line from Shakespeare’s play, “Julius Caesar”) is not in our government, but in ourselves. Here are some…
Angry Al and Me
May 10, 2022
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I get lots of emails from my readers. Most are from nice people who have questions about their particular Social Security situation. I like responding to these people and helping them out. Then there are those guys (and it’s almost always guys) who rant and rave and gripe and groan about some perceived injustice involving…
Seniors Sacrifice Health and Comfort as Inflation Lowers Standard of Living
May 10, 2022
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In response to inflation, the prizes at Bingo have changed in recent weeks at the Millersville Senior Center in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Instead of fun little trinkets, winning bingo players now choose between cleaning supplies, laundry items or snacks, depending on the theme of the week, Senior Center Director Starr Brubaker told The Epoch Times. Dryer…
Questions From Young Widows
Last week, I answered questions about Social Security widow’s benefits. But I ran out of column space before I ran out of questions to answer. So, this week, more questions and answers about widows. Last week’s questions were mostly from older women in their 70s and 80s. Today’s questions come from younger widows. Q: My…
Social Security Benefits for Widows
April 14, 2022
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I’ve saved up some questions that are either from widows or from husbands or wives wondering about future widow’s benefits. Here are some of them. Q: I want to make sure my wife gets the highest widow’s benefits possible after I’m gone. How do I do that? A: If that’s your only goal with respect…
Older US Adults More Concerned About Inflation Than Younger Americans: Survey
Older U.S. adults are more concerned about inflation than their younger counterparts, says a new Morning Consult study (pdf). According to its U.S. Economic Outlook report for April, 67 percent of baby boomers said they were very concerned about inflation in April, compared to 35 percent of Generation Z adults. Baby boomers were also slightly…
Social Security: Protective Filing Dates
This is going to be a column about a special procedure that the Social Security Administration routinely uses that is intended to help people by protecting their rights to possible benefits. It’s called a “protective filing date.” In a nutshell, if you contact the SSA and tell them you intend to file for some kind…
Tips for Finding Social Security Information Online
I’m sure lots of my readers are always looking for Social Security information online. So am I. Even though I’ve got 50 years’ worth of Social Security knowledge stacked up in my brain, it sometimes gets a little muddled and I need to check something out or verify what I think I know. So, I…
Social Security: Whistling Past the $96 Trillion Graveyard
March 22, 2022
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Commentary Social Security has a problem. As Democrats push to expand entitlements to include free preschool and subsidized child care, little attention is getting paid to the fact that Social Security is a financial trainwreck. “The program’s payouts have exceeded revenue since 2010, but the recent past is nowhere near as grim as the future. According to…
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