Social Security
Benefits for veterans and their families
A set of entitlements that are substantial, under-claimed, and separate from the Social Security system.
Social Security
Claiming age, spousal benefits, and the break-even arithmetic.
Social Security
What to do about a shortfall
Where the projection does not work, the options are limited, real, and better taken early.
Social Security
Pensions that interact with Social Security
Public sector workers with pensions from non-covered employment have faced specific provisions that recently changed.
Social Security
Applying for Social Security
The administrative process, the documents required, the timing that avoids delays, and the Medicare coordination that catches people out.
Social Security
Common Social Security mistakes
A short list of errors that are expensive, generally permanent once made, and entirely avoidable with a few minutes of checking.
Social Security
Claiming decisions for single people
Without spousal and survivor provisions, the analysis is simpler and the stakes are arguably higher.
Social Security
What happens if the trust fund runs short
A widely misunderstood projection, and what it does and does not imply for planning.
Social Security
The taxation of Social Security benefits
A formula that catches more people every year, and produces effective marginal rates higher than the published brackets.
Social Security
Working in retirement, and what it does to the plan
Continuing to earn changes benefits, taxes and account eligibility in ways worth understanding before deciding.
Social Security
Spousal and survivor benefits
The provisions that most affect married couples, and the ones most often planned for badly.
Social Security
How your benefit is calculated
The formula is public, it is progressive, and understanding it explains several things that otherwise seem arbitrary.
Social Security
When to claim Social Security
The most consequential single decision many retirees make, and the analysis is more straightforward than the volume of commentary suggests.