Social security
Book - 2021
"The one guide you need to navigate the often-complex world of Social Security benefits. You'll learn when to start claiming, how much you can expect to receive, where to find Social Security calculators, and more." -- Amazon.com.
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
Hoboken, NJ :
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
[2021]
- Language
- English
- Corporate Author
- Main Author
- Corporate Author
- Edition
- 4th edition
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- xi, 317 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
- ISBN
- 9781119689928
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- Icons Used in This Book
- Beyond the Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Part 1. Getting Started with Social Security
- Chapter 1. What Social Security Is and Why You Need It
- Understanding What Social Security Means for You
- Benefits for retirees
- Benefits for children
- Benefits for survivors
- Benefits for the disabled and their dependents
- Appraising the Value of Social Security
- Understanding How You Pay for Social Security
- How much you pay
- Where your money goes
- Getting the Most Out of Your Social Security Benefits
- Getting in Touch with the Social Security Administration
- Chapter 2. A Breakdown of Benefits
- Bringing Security to Old Age: Retirement Benefits
- Who qualifies and when
- How you qualify
- How much you get
- Surviving the Loss of a Breadwinner
- Who qualifies
- How much you get
- How benefits are earned
- Paying Your Bills When You Can't Work: Disability Benefits
- Who qualifies
- How you qualify
- How much you get
- When the Need Is Great: Supplemental Security Income
- Chapter 3. Deciding When to Start Collecting Retirement Benefits
- Paying Attention to Your Full Retirement Age
- Determining your full retirement age
- Estimating how much you'll get each month based on when you retire
- Looking at Life Expectancy When You Claim Benefits
- Doing a break-even analysis: The payoff from different retirement dates
- Considering what'll happen if you live longer than you expect
- Considering Your Spouse When You Claim Social Security
- Recognizing the Potential Payoff of Working Later in Life
- Putting It All Together: The Right Time to Begin Collecting Benefits
- Chapter 4. Protecting Your Number and Securing Your Card
- Getting a Social Security Number
- For U.S. citizens
- For noncitizens
- Managing Your Social Security Card
- If your card is lost or damaged
- If your name changes
- Protecting Yourself by Protecting Your Number
- Protecting your identity
- Knowing what to do if scammers get your number
- Part 2. Taking the Plunge: Filing for Social Security
- Chapter 5. Signing Up for Benefits
- When to Apply for Social Security Benefits
- Where to Apply for Social Security Benefits
- Online
- In person
- By phone
- How to Apply for Social Security Benefits
- Retirement benefits
- Survivor benefits
- Disability benefits
- Supplemental Security Income benefits
- How You Get Your Money: The Check Is Not in the Mail
- Chapter 6. Determining How Much You've Earned
- Your Social Security Statement
- How to access it
- How to understand it
- Social Security Calculators
- Social Security's own tools
- AARP's Social Security calculator
- Other online calculators
- Chapter 7. Navigating the System
- Being a Smart Consumer of Social Security
- Keeping good records
- Making sense of the correspondence you get from Social Security
- Making (and showing up for) appointments
- Getting the Answers and Help You Need
- Finding answers online
- Having someone on your side when you deal with Social
- Security
- Life Happens: Keeping the Social Security Administration in the Loop
- Setting the (Earnings) Record Straight
- Halting Your Retirement Benefits
- Recovering a Lost or Stolen Social Security Check
- Getting Dinged for an Overpayment
- Getting Social Security in a Global Economy
- U.S. citizens
- Noncitizens
- Registering a Complaint with the Social Security Administration
- Chapter 8. When You and Social Security Disagree: The Appeals Process
- Reconsideration: Taking Your First Step
- Deciding whether to file a request for reconsideration
- Taking the steps to file
- Going to an Administrative Law Judge to Solve Your Problem
- Requesting a hearing
- Preparing for your hearing
- Participating in your hearing
- Knowing What to Expect from the Appeals Council
- Taking Your Claim to Federal Court
- Part 3. Who Benefits and When
- Chapter 9. Spousal Benefits: Watching Out for Each Other
- Who Qualifies and Who Doesn't
- Traditional spouses
- Same-sex spouses
- Common-law spouses
- Divorced spouses
- Widows and widowers
- How Much You Can Expect to Get
- How to Maximize Your Benefits
- Maximizing your lifetime benefits as a married couple
- Getting the biggest benefit possible for your surviving spouse
- Chapter 10. Family Benefits: Who Gets What
- Defining Who's in the Family
- Spouses
- Parents or grandparents
- Natural children
- Adopted children
- Stepchildren
- Grandchildren
- Parents of a worker
- Identifying the Benefits Family Members Are Eligible For
- Dependent children under 18
- Dependent children 18 and over
- Disabled adult children
- Grandchildren
- Parents of a worker
- Looking at How Having a "Child in Care" May Affect Your Own Benefits
- Understanding the Family Maximum
- Counting on Kids' Benefits When Parents Live Apart
- Managing Benefits on Behalf of a Child
- Chapter 11. When You Can't Work: Social Security Disability Benefits
- The Two Types of Disability Benefits
- Social Security Disability Insurance
- Supplemental Security Income
- How Social Security Defines Disability
- Are you working for money?
- Do you have a severe medical problem?
- Is your disability on "the list"?
- Can you perform the tasks required by your former job or a similar job?
- Can you do any other available work in the economy?
- How to Make Your Case
- Cutting through the red tape
- Gathering the best medical evidence: The role of your doctor
- Getting help
- Showing that you've tried to solve your problem
- Telling the truth
- What to Do If You Get Turned Down
- What Happens to Your Benefit If You Can Go Back to Work
- Part 4. Social Security and Your Future
- Chapter 12. Enrolling in Medicare
- Understanding the ABCs (and D) of Medicare
- Part A. Hospital insurance
- Part B. Medical insurance
- Part C. Medicare Advantage
- Part D. Prescription-drug coverage
- Qualifying for Medicare
- Signing Up for Medicare
- Deciding what parts to enroll in
- Keeping track of the enrollment periods
- Knowing your options for applying for Medicare
- Paying Premiums
- Getting Hit with Late Fees
- Part A.
- Part B.
- Part C.
- Part D.
- Buying Extra Insurance: Medigap
- Getting Financial Help If You Need It
- Extra Help for Part D
- Medicaid
- Medicare savings programs
- Pharmaceutical assistance programs
- Programs of Ail-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
- State pharmaceutical assistance programs
- State health insurance assistance programs
- Chapter 13. Working in "Retirement"
- The Pros and Cons of Not Retiring at Retirement Age
- Facing the challenges of working later in life
- Reaping the benefits of working later in life
- The Earnings Test: How Your Payments Are Calculated When You Work
- How the earnings limit works
- How exceeding the limit may cost your family
- How the earnings test affects benefits
- Getting a break for your first months of retirement
- Reporting earnings to the Social Security Administration
- When You Go Back to Work after Retirement
- Special Considerations for the Self-Employed
- Tax deductions
- Work credits
- Earnings limit
- Reporting requirements
- Uncle Sam Giveth and Taketh Away: How Benefits Are Taxed
- Chapter 14. Shaping a Financial Future You Can Live With
- Envisioning Your Life with Social Security
- Figuring out how much money you need
- Determining how much income you need
- Narrowing the gap between too little income and too much spending
- Working with a financial professional
- Preparing for Life on Social Security
- Purchasing an annuity
- Signing up for Medicare
- Handling home equity
- Getting long-term-care insurance
- Understanding how Social Security interacts with private pensions
- Managing your investments
- Part 5. The Part of Tens
- Chapter 15. Ten Myths about Social Security
- Myth: Social Security Is a Ponzi Scheme
- Myth: Your Social Security Number Has a Racial Code in It
- Myth: Members of Congress Don't Pay into the System
- Myth: Social Security Is Going Broke
- Myth: The Social Security Trust Funds Are Worthless
- Myth: You'd Be Better Off Investing in Stocks
- Myth: Undocumented Immigrants Make Illegal Social Security Claims
- Myth: When Social Security Started, People Didn't Even Live to 65
- Myth: Congress Keeps Pushing Benefits Higher than Intended
- Myth: Older Folks Are Greedy Geezers Who Don't Need All Their Social Security
- Chapter 16. Ten Reasons Young People Should Care about Social Security
- If You're Lucky, You'll Be Old Someday
- Your Parents Will Be Old Even Sooner
- You're Paying into the System Now
- You Benefit When Social Security Keeps People Out of Poverty
- You May Need Benefits Sooner than You Think
- Social Security Ensures That Time Doesn't Eat Away at Your Benefit
- Social Security Benefits Are One Thing You Can Hang Your Hat On
- The System Works
- The Alternatives Are Worse
- Life Is Risky
- Chapter 17. Ten Choices Facing the Country about the Future of Social Security
- Whether to Increase the Earnings Base
- Whether to Cover More Workers
- Whether to Raise Taxes
- Whether to Cut Benefits
- Whether to Modify the Inflation Formula
- Whether to Raise the Full Retirement Age
- How to Treat Women More Fairly
- Whether to Divert People's Taxes to Private Accounts
- Whether to Create a Minimum Benefit
- Whether to Give a Bonus for Longevity
- Part 6. Appendixes
- Appendix A. Glossary
- Appendix B. Resources
- Social Security
- Medicare
- AARP
- Other Sources
- Appendix C. Strengthening Social Security
- Index