I write a column similar to this one every January. But I don’t mind plagiarizing myself, because it contains a very important message for people planning to retire in 2022. January is a critical month for the hundreds of thousands of potential Social Security beneficiaries who are reaching 66 and 4 months, their so-called full…

It has been my custom for most of the past 24 years to write a year-end column that summarizes the Social Security changes and updates scheduled to take place the following year. Almost all Social Security beneficiaries are familiar with the most popular and publicized upcoming change: the increase in monthly benefit checks for 2022…

There are some columns I could repeat over and over again—because I’m asked the same questions over and over again. One of the most common questions I’m asked is this: “How is my Social Security benefit figured?” I’ve answered this question many times in past columns, and I’m going to do it again today. This…

I’ve speculated before that most of the readers of my column are women. And that conjecture is based on the fact that I seem to get many more emails from them than I get from men. That’s why, for example, in the past month, I’ve written two columns targeted to my female readers. But I…

This is going to be a column about people who need help managing their Social Security affairs. People frequently send me emails about this topic. A typical email might go something like this: “My 90-year-old grandmother has a hard time getting around and managing all of her affairs. I had myself granted power of attorney…

My wife has a little plaque hanging on the wall of her art studio. She’s a fiber artist who makes quilted landscapes and something called “temari,” which are decorative Japanese thread balls. She sells her wares in a local art gallery. If you want to see her work, just go to FiberArtsByBecky.com. Anyway, that plaque,…