ArcaMax

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

Not a week goes by when I don't get emails from veterans who have been led to believe that they are missing out on some extra Social Security benefits allegedly payable to people who served in the military.

As is often the case with these misleading internet come-ons, there is a tiny kernel of truth to the rumor. But then exaggerated claims and...Read more

Before I begin today's column, which questions some of President Donald Trump's planned staff reductions at the Social Security Administration, let me confess that at the end of the column, I point out that I might be dead wrong! So, let's begin.

Imagine that you owned a successful business that was gaining 10,000 new customers each day, with ...Read more

I often feel guilty if I write a column that essentially repeats information I've given in past columns. But readers often remind me that I shouldn't worry about that. For example, today I got an email that said something like this: "I know you've covered this topic before. But I've forgotten most of what you said, and now we are at the point ...Read more

Many readers have been emailing me asking for my help in understanding the allegations made by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency about sloppy recordkeeping at the Social Security Administration. Here are three typical questions.

Q: What is going on with the DOGE reports about Social Security recipients who are supposedly 120...Read more

First, an apology: I don't think there will be anything about Social Security in today's column. But after 28 years of writing these weekly articles (that would be more than 1,450 columns about Social Security), I hope you'll indulge me around this Valentine's Day as I spend one column sharing a couple funny stories from the early days of my 50-...Read more