ArcaMax

I've written many columns explaining how Social Security benefits are figured. So, I'm not really going to do that today. Instead, I'm going to answer some emails from readers that get into some quirky features of the whole process. But first, to set the stage, here is a fairly routine question.

Q: I'm in my late 50s and am starting to think ...Read more

Well, the votes are in. (Actually, they are still coming in, but I had to cut them off at some point and compile results.) Anyway, I'm shocked! Several weeks ago, I asked my readers to rate the service they got from the Social Security Administration in the form of stars: 5 stars for good service, down to 1 star for poor service. 148 of you ...Read more

I've been getting more than a few emails lately from folks who say they plan to move overseas. Some told me they just want to escape the political turmoil in this country. Others probably have a bad case of wanderlust. I'm sure others are just thinking about retiring and returning to their ancestral home, or perhaps still others see some of the ...Read more

Whenever I see a parent with a disabled child, it tugs at my heartstrings. On the one hand, I can't imagine the hardships they must face almost every day. I think of our neighbors -- a retired couple our age (in their 70s) whose only child is a 40-year-old son with cerebral palsy. So much of their lives seems to revolve around the care for their...Read more

I don't think I coined the term. But I may have helped spread it around the world of Social Security. I'm referring to the "spousal bump." Every time I hear it, it makes me chuckle. It sounds like some "dirty dancing" move by an old married couple in a shady nightclub! But of course, I know that's not what the spousal bump is. It is a term that ...Read more

Sadly, there has been more than a little bit of "government bashing" going on lately. In addition to general rants about alleged government inefficiency, government employees come in for more than their share of criticism. All I really know is Social Security and the services provided by the Social Security Administration. So that's what I am ...Read more

There has been a lot of talk over the years about Social Security being a "Ponzi scheme." I have addressed this issue many times before, so I don't want to bore my regular readers with another long dissertation. But since a certain billionaire friend of President Donald Trump brought it up yet again, I will make three quick observations.

One: ...Read more

I doubt if any of you have ever bothered to count, but my average weekly column comes out to about 1,000 words. I bring this up because the other day, a national newspaper asked me to write a one-time Social Security column for them. They told me that wanted me to answer five questions (of their choosing) and that they would give me 500 words of...Read more

I recently did a couple of media interviews. One was a podcast and the other was a radio show. The hosts of both media outlets asked me essentially the same thing: "What are the most common questions people ask about Social Security?" As long as it's fresh in my mind, I thought I'd turn those questions (and the answers, of course) into a column....Read more

There are so many Social Security-bashing screeds floating around on the internet that are I could spend every one of my weekly columns just trying to set the record straight.

These things usually get passed around from one gullible and naive nitwit to the next. Today I'm addressing one that has been polluting the online world for almost a ...Read more

There is so much misinformation about the Social Security program and the conduct of the Social Security Administration that I simply cannot keep up with it. I feel bad because I'd like to write my normal columns in which I help my readers understand the intricacies of the program so that they can make the right choices when they file for Social...Read more

I predicted this was going to happen. The public outcry over the repeal of the Government Pension Offset law has begun. I am hearing from more and more people (mostly women) who want to know why retired teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees are getting Social Security spousal and survivor benefits that they can't get...Read more