In this second edition of social security maximize your benefits, kathleen sindell, ph. Top 5 social security books social security intelligence. If you started collecting within the last 12 months, you can even withdraw your claim by repaying the benefits you have already received. Thats a big deal, as social security income is critical to most. Maximize social security with spousal benefits more to make the most of your spousal benefit, youll want to wait until you reach full retirement age to begin receiving social security payments. The following is an adapted excerpt from my book social security made simple. Despite the social security systems longterm financial problems, you dont need to feel guilty about trying to maximize your benefits, says mary jane yarrington, a policy analyst with the. The first book is mike pipers social security made simple. Part one is about 27 pages and speaks in clear and concise terms about how benefits are calculated and how you qualify for them. Heres how to maximize your social security benefit. Deciding which social security benefits to take and when to take them is one of the most important and complex decisions you must make. You can be eligible for social security benefits after working as little as 10 years, and you can begin receiving benefits as early as age 62 or as late as age 70. Social security beneficiaries between full retirement age and age 70 can voluntarily suspend payments to maximize earnings down the road. Some of the new challenges retirees are facing today.
They can give you an indepth analysis of the best time to claim benefits. Get whats yours has been revised and updated to reflect new regulations that took effect on april 29, 2016. The net amount of social security benefits that you receive from the social security administration is reported in box 5 of form ssa1099, social security benefit statement, and you report that amount on your income tax return form 1040, line 20a or form 1040a, line 14a. The best way to maximize your benefits from social security is to put in a long career of paying into the program. Your payments will be based on your highest 35 years of earnings, so it pays to stay in the game until youve hit at least 35 years of service. But not everyone can wait most take it early so theres some tradeoffs. Maximize my social security when should i take social. Secrets on how to increase your social security cashflow. Maximizing social security benefits special report. Get whats yours has proven itself to be the definitive book about how to navigate the forbidding maze of social security and emerge with the highest possible benefits. Social security will pay you a premium if you wait until 70. Evaluate and take the higher benefit, claiming either survivors benefits or your own benefits and switching later. I tested 2 free social security retirement calculators.
Your 2019 guide to social security benefits the motley fool. Maximize social security benefits senior living member. These are just some of the ways to maximize social security retirement benefits. Social security benefits can be an important source of cash flow in retirement and the amount youll receive is directly affected by the decisions you make leading up to retirement. Learn strategies to help maximize your lifetime benefit. Social security funding still set to run out in 2035. Maximize my social security is a tool developed exclusively by economic security planning, inc. Get whats yours, a guide about how to maximize claiming social security retirement benefits, is the 19th bestselling book on amazon after hitting the top spot in february when the book. It is an engaging manual of tactics and strategies written by wellknown. Secret ways to boost your social security kiplinger. Strategies for maximizing your social security benefits. Plus, a satirical novel imagines a wacky social security based scenario. Approach social security armed with knowledge about how the system works, and youll be more likely to maximize your benefits.
Get the benefits youve earned social security for dummies is the one guide you need to navigate the oftencomplex world of social security benefits. Maximize my social security was developed by boston university economics professor larry kotlikoff. The latest estimate is unchanged from last years, but it does not reflect the impact of the covid19 pandemic on the trust funds. Selecting the right strategy for when to claim social security will pay off for years to come. Social security uses your highest thirtyfive years of work history to calculate your average indexed monthly earnings. In general, the primary factors that determine when married people should take social security are the same as those for determining when unmarried people should take social security. We like maximize my social securitys easytouse tools and reports. This is what determines the amount of your social security retirement benefit, so make sure you have a full 35 years of work history to maximize your benefits before you apply. But the book offers different strategies to maximize your benefits depending on your marital status, age, earnings, and financial needs, among. Too many people end up getting less than whats due to them from social security when they retire because they dont know the rules and the real financial impacts, says independent retirement advisor and ceo of nature coast financial advisors gary marriage, jr. Hell be taking a short break from this column for the rest of the month and will return to answer. One details the scope of the issues, while another guides readers on how to maximize their benefits. Social security retirement benefits and related planning topics explained in 100 pages or less.
Motivated by the great depression, the united states established the social security system in 1935. How to maximize social security with spousal benefits. Its a short read but it hits the surface of a lot of topics within social security. It covers just about any social security claiming scenario you might encounter, from child benefits to whether youre a divorcee, parent, retiree, spouse, or survivor. However, its geared primarily toward people who are nearing retirement. Tips to maximize your social security retirement benefits. My colleagues and i have developed pathbreaking and widely acclaimed software tools to dramatically improve personal financial planning. Mary beth writes regularly about the latest research and thought leadership on retirement income planning. This updated edition offers clear guidance on when to claim benefits, how much you can expect to receive, where to find social security calculators, and so much more. Your benefit can be based on your exspouses work history. Baby boomers 2020 guide to maximize your retirement benefits mark j. Her most recent book, maximizing social security retirement benefits everything you need to know to get the most out of complicated new claiming rules, has been updated to reflect changes in claiming strategies due to the bipartisan budget act of 2015. How to maximize your social security benefits aarp. There are three ways to apply for social security benefits online, in person at your nearest social security office, and over the phone.
Social security was designed at a time when most men worked fulltime jobs and their wives stayed home and raised the children. This is just one of 8 filing strategies for married couples that i discuss in my social security retirement book. Award winning personal finance journalist mary beth franklin has become a sought after expert on maximizing social security benefits. The following free calculators will help you decide. Maximize your benefits offers practical information that allows you to select the optimal claiming strategy that. Social security can be a meaningful component of your income during retirement, and understanding the various claiming strategies can help maximize the benefits you have earned. Social security strategies for married couples oblivious. Though that is not the norm today, the benefit structure has not changed. Today, larry has 12 secrets to maximizing your social security benefits under the new rules.
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