About Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. For many years, he was the director of SSA's public information office at the agency’s headquarters in Baltimore, Md. In that post, he was the chief editor for more than 100 informational publications produced by SSA.

He also was SSA’s deputy press officer for several years, serving in that position as a chief spokesman for the Social Security Administration. Prior to that, he was a speechwriter for the Commissioner of Social Security. Before he moved to SSA's headquarters, he worked for 12 years in Social Security field offices around the country, where he processed Social Security claims while writing Social Security columns for local newspapers.

He has written the “Social Security and You ” column for national syndication since 1997. Margenau graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1971. He is married and has two grown children and five grandchildren.

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Another Look Back Oct 07, 2026

Maybe all of you are getting tired of Social Security. Why do I think that? Well, I got on my calculator and figured out that in the past 29 years, I have written about 1,500 columns about Social Security. And it's rather interesting to note that I h... Read More

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The Most Insignificant Social Security Benefit Sep 30, 2026

I'm always amazed that the most insignificant of all Social Security benefits seems so significant to so many people. I am talking about the crummy little one-time $255 death benefit. I'm always getting emails from readers asking me about it. Or, to ... Read More

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Repeat After Me: 'SSI and Social Security Are Not the Same Thing!' Sep 23, 2026

I can tell from my emails that it's time for me to trot out another version of my "SSI and Social Security Are Not the Same Thing" column. Despite my preaching over the years, I continue to get emails from readers getting Social Security benefits tha... Read More

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Bad Husbands and Social Security Sep 16, 2026

I've talked about the issue of bad husbands and Social Security before. But if my emails are any indication, there still are a lot of rotten husbands out there! That's why I keep telling my wife she should fall down on her knees every day and thank h... Read More