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Never Send Unsolicited Money to the SSA Apr. 28, 2021
Every once in a while, I get an email from a reader with a horror story of sorts involving sending u... Read More
The 3 Rules About Social Security Checks Everyone Should Know Apr. 14, 2021
There are some basic facts about when and how Social Security checks are due and delivered that conf... Read More
I Don't Get the Allure of Retroactive Benefits Mar. 24, 2021
I just don't get people's fascination with the idea of getting retroactive retirement benefits from ... Read More
You Are Not Getting SSI. You Are Getting Social Security! Mar. 17, 2021
Every single day, I get emails from readers that say things like this: "My wife and I are getting SS... Read More
Retirement Benefit Calculation -- the Advanced Course Feb. 24, 2021
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who just want to know the time and those who want ... Read More
Decline in Social Security Staff Equals Decline in Social Security Service Feb. 17, 2021
Imagine that you owned a successful business that was gaining 10,000 new customers every single day.... Read More
Seniors Obsess Over 'Maximizing' Their Social Security Feb. 10, 2021
"I want to make sure we maximize our Social Security payments." "I am very concerned that we will ma... Read More
Benefits for Widows Dec. 09, 2020
I get a lot of emails from women who have questions about the widows benefits they are already getti... Read More
Why Me? Ask the Social Security Administration for Help Nov. 25, 2020
Let me ask a question. If your furnace stopped working on the coldest day of the year, would you sen... Read More
Social Security and Women Nov. 04, 2020
I really don't have any way of knowing this, but I'm guessing the majority of my readers are women. ... Read More
Mom and Pop Businesses and Social Security Oct. 28, 2020
More than a few husbands and wives are involved in some kind of mom and pop business. And over the y... Read More
Less for Others and More for Me Oct. 21, 2020
I get hundreds of letters from my readers every week. And from them, I can glean a lot of insight in... Read More
Identity Theft and Social Security Oct. 14, 2020
Q: My purse was stolen, and now I worry that someone might be using my Social Security number. I cal... Read More
Paper Social Security Checks Still Out There Oct. 07, 2020
President Donald Trump's ongoing battle with the U.S. Postal Service and its funding has a small fra... Read More
Social Security -- Don't Drop the Ball Sep. 16, 2020
I frequently get emails from people who have lost out on Social Security benefits they might have be... Read More
When in Doubt, File a Claim Sep. 09, 2020
I'm going to start this column at the bottom! Or, rather, with the bottom-line message I want to del... Read More
The Windfall Elimination Provision Should NOT Be Repealed Aug. 26, 2020
My inbox has been flooded with emails from retired or soon-to-be retired public employees who don't ... Read More
Benefits for Spouses and Widows Are Sometimes Controversial Aug. 05, 2020
I'm going to start out today's column by answering a question from a reader about her potential elig... Read More
Social Security Rules (Not Reps) Confuse Readers Jul. 29, 2020
Anyone who has read my column for any length of time knows that I have occasionally been critical of... Read More
The COVID-19 Virus and Social Security Jul. 22, 2020
Q: I keep hearing all this talk about how the COVID-19 virus is going to reduce future Social Securi... Read More
