“I want to make sure we maximize our Social Security payments.” “I am very concerned that we will make a wrong decision and leave Social Security money on the table.” “My wife and I both took our benefits at 62. We are now in our 70s. Everyone I talk to says we made a huge…
No Social Security in Prison
I was recently going through some old family photo albums with my grandkids. One album covered the reasonably short period of time we lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In fact, we only lived there for about eight months. If you want to know why we didn’t stay there very long, here’s a clue: We…
Social Security Is a Worldwide Phenomenon
Most readers of my column are very nice and very normal people. Some are more progressive in their political thinking. And some are more conservative in their political thinking. But most of these folks, whether they lean left or lean right in their politics, generally agree that Social Security has been a force for good…
The ‘Spousal Bump’
Recently, I’ve received emails from several readers who asked questions about something they call the “spousal bump.” It’s a term I never heard before, and it made me chuckle. It sounds to me like some kind of “dirty dancing” move done by an old married couple in a shady nightclub! I can just see a…
More Questions About Widows Benefits
Sometimes, when I write a column about a certain topic, that column seems to generate more questions than it answers. And that certainly was the case with a column I wrote about widows benefits just before the holidays. Ever since, my inbox has been crammed with emails from widows or about widows. And I even…
Turning Full Retirement Age in 2021? Consider Filing for Benefits This Month.
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 2021. January is a critical month for the hundreds of thousands of potential Social Security beneficiaries who are reaching 66 and 2 months, their so-called full…
Social Security Update for 2021
It has been my custom for most of the past 23 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 2021…
Full Retirement Age in 2021 and Beyond
I know many people are saying, “Good riddance” to 2020, partly due to political turmoil but primarily due to the deadly COVID-19 virus. But as for me, I have been dreading 2021. Why? It has to do with the increase in the Social Security full retirement age. And therein lies a story. For the first…
Ask Kip: Here’s How Postponing Social Security Changes Your Benefit
By Catherine Siskos, From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Q: It’s often said that Social Security benefits increase annually by 8 percent every year that someone waits. Many financial experts use this figure too, but I found the 8 percent assumption to be false. Are there any reasons why someone who waits wouldn’t see an 8 percent bump…
US News
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The Nation Speaks (Jan. 23): Alan Dershowitz on the Perils of Impeachment; Finding Common Ground; Why America is the World’s Most Generous Country
In this episode, we talk to Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School professor emeritus and constitutional law expert, about the dangers of using impeachment as a political tool and the future of free speech in America. And in a time of deep divide, Dr. George Barna, director of research at Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian…