Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
November 16, 2015 — The biggest change affecting Social Security benefits in at least 15 years is about to go into effect on April 30, 2016. It is a change that could cost certain beneficiaries $50,000 over a lifetime. As with any major change to a benefit program there has been a lot of confusion over who is affected and how - this article will explain how it will affect you.
We were fortunate to have Kurt Czarnowski, a 34 year veteran employee of the Social Security Administration and leading expert on the subject, explain the changes to us in practical terms. Here is what we learned from Kurt about how various groups are affected.
File and Suspend and Restricted Benefit
The Budget Bill passed by Congress and signed by the President in early November included changes to
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Published on November 16, 2015
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Note: This has become Module 8 of our Retirement 101 Online Retirement Course. We have written several other articles about Social Security you might also enjoy: "Social Security Quiz- A Learning Experience", and "What Is Your Social Security Worst Claim Scenario". Important changes to spousal claiming strategies occurred in 2016, these are referenced in our later articles.
April 24, 2012 -- We were vain enough to consider ourselves experts on when and how to start collecting social security. That is, until we attended a talk last week in Old Saybrook, Connecticut by Kurt Czarnowski of Czarnowski Consulting. Boy, the things we didn't know, and the others so misunderstood! This Module is Part 1 of a 3 Part Series. Here will give a brief background on Social Security and then dive into successful strategies for optimizing your return from this important safety net. Part 2 of this series concentrates on issues related to claiming strategies for couples, the rights of divorced spouses, and frequent misunderstandings/questions about Social Security. Part 3 explains "How to 'Buy' an annuity from Social Security".
First, let's start with a quote from Kurt Czarnowski: "The myths and misunderstandings about Social Security are staggering". This from a man who spent 34 years within the Social Security Administration, the last of those as a Communications Director. Given all the misinformation, it is important that
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Published on April 24, 2012
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