I’m always amazed by the number of emails I get from people who have been getting benefits for 10 years, or 20 years, or even more — and now they are coming to me with questions about their benefit amount. Or to be more precise, they are telling me some version of this lament: “I…
‘Welfare’ for Disabled Kids With Wealthy Parents
Q: I have a neighbor who is in his early 50s. He is a pilot for a major airline and makes pretty good money. He and his wife have several children, one of whom has Down syndrome. I have heard that this 21-year-old son is collecting about $2,000 per month in welfare benefits from Social…
Most Common Social Security Questions
I get hundreds of emails each week from my readers. I try to answer them all, but I probably answer many of the same questions over and over again! I’ll include those common questions in today’s column. My answers are going to be short and to the point, just so I can squeeze in as…
More Questions About Social Security Disability Benefits
Q: I have been getting Social Security disability benefits since 2010. I am coming up on my 62nd birthday and would like to know if I can file for regular Social Security and get higher retirement benefits. Also, I have a 14-year-old daughter who is currently getting benefits on my disability record. Will she get…
A Social Security Pop Quiz
OK, class. You’ve been reading my column for a number of years now. It’s time to see how much you’ve learned. So put on your thinking caps, get out your No. 2 pencils, and good luck with this short pop quiz. Question 1: How many years of earnings are used to compute a Social Security…
Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey—Do You Want Flowers or Social Security Benefits?
I suppose it’s normal for husbands to give some extra thought to getting something for their wives around Valentine’s Day. And if my emails are any indication, these guys weren’t just thinking of getting them some flowers or candy. They were thinking about giving them spousal benefits from Social Security. (And before I go on,…
Maids and Nannies and Social Security
Sometimes I think my wife and I are the last middle-class couple in the country who haven’t hired a maid to clean the house. I know we’re the last couple in our neighborhood who are “maidless.” Every week, up and down our block, I see maids pulling up to houses, getting out their vacuums and…
Repeat After Me: ‘SSI Is Not Social Security’
If I had a million dollars, I’d buy commercial time at the upcoming Super Bowl and run an ad that would say, in big bold letters, “SSI is not Social Security.” I have written dozens of past columns about this topic. But I’ve just got to do so again. It seems to me that just…
Lapses in Service and Advice at the SSA
Today, I’m going to write, once again, about lapses in service and advice from the Social Security Administration (SSA). I cringe every time I write one of these kinds of columns. When I worked for the SSA between 1973 and 2005, I was often so proud of my agency. We were always winning awards for…
A COLA Gift From Congress Few Seniors Know About
I wonder if any of my readers have thought about this. Why did you get the 2022 cost-of-living increase in your January Social Security checks? After all, that check you get in January is the Social Security payment for December. In other words, you get your first 2022 COLA increase in your December 2021 Social…
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