ArcaMax

I am constantly hearing from readers who comment on the perceived complexities of Social Security laws. They liken the program to something just shy of rocket science or brain surgery. And they marvel that I can keep up with "all the changing and complex rules and regulations."

Well, I am no rocket scientist. Nor am I a brain surgeon. Not even ...Read more

Readers are always telling me they are worried about the future of Social Security. And they say they are inclined to file for Social Security benefits before they originally planned to because they are convinced benefits will be dramatically cut as part of any upcoming Social Security reform. They plan to do this because they want to be "...Read more

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who just want to know the time and those who want to take the clock apart to see how it works. I'm sure most of us fall into the first category. I sure do. But of course, there are always those who need to disassemble that clock, examine it and then try to put it back together.

And when it comes...Read more

Imagine that you owned a successful business that was gaining 10,000 new customers every single day. And all the market projections said that trend would continue for many more years. Would you be hiring new staff and opening new outlets to keep up with the demand? Or would you be cutting back on employees, reducing office hours and closing ...Read more

"I want to make sure we maximize our Social Security payments."

"I am very concerned that we will make a wrong decision and leave Social Security money on the table."

"My wife and I both took our benefits at 62. We are now in our 70s. Everyone I talk to says we made a huge mistake by starting our benefits early. I am so worried that we did ...Read more

I was recently going through some old family photo albums with my grandkids. One album covered the reasonably short period of time we lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In fact, we only lived there for about eight months. If you want to know why we didn't stay there very long, here's a clue: We moved there on Jan. 1, 1977, and the temperature ...Read more

Most readers of my column are very nice and very normal people. Some are more progressive in their political thinking. And some are more conservative in their political thinking. But most of these folks, whether they lean left or lean right in their politics, generally agree that Social Security has been a force for good in this country.

But ...Read more

Recently, I've received emails from several readers who asked questions about something they call the "spousal bump." It's a term I never heard before, and it made me chuckle. It sounds to me like some kind of "dirty dancing" move done by an old married couple in a shady nightclub! I can just see a geezer and his wife thumping their rumps up ...Read more

Sometimes, when I write a column about a certain topic, that column seems to generate more questions than it answers. And that certainly was the case with a column I wrote about widows benefits just before the holidays. Ever since, my inbox has been crammed with emails from widows or about widows. And I even got some questions about benefits for...Read more

I write a column similar to this one every January. But I don't mind plagiarizing myself, because it contains a very important message for people planning to retire in 2021.

January is a critical month for the hundreds of thousands of potential Social Security beneficiaries who are reaching 66 and 2 months, their so-called full retirement age, ...Read more

It has been my custom for most of the past 23 years to write a year-end column that summarizes the Social Security changes and updates scheduled to take place the following year.

Almost all Social Security beneficiaries are familiar with the most popular and publicized upcoming change: the increase in monthly benefit checks for 2021 due to the ...Read more

I know many people are saying, "Good riddance" to 2020, partly due to political turmoil but primarily due to the deadly COVID-19 virus. But as for me, I have been dreading 2021. Why? It has to do with the increase in the Social Security full retirement age. And therein lies a story.

For the first half-century of the Social Security program, ...Read more