Money

I am 76 and my spouse is 79.  She applied for Social Security benefits at her full retirement age.  I was subject to GPO so I couldn't apply for spousal benefits.   Please help me with the following questions: 1.  Will my spousal benefits be one half of her current SS benefits? 2. If she were to die tomorrow, would my survivor benefit be equal to her full current benefit? 3.  Where can I find her PIA?  I can't find it in her mySocialSecurity account or in the letters Social Security sends. Thanks for your help.

  If you were a government worker that did not pay into the Social Security System and have been penalized for getting a Survivors or Spousal benefit because your Government pension was too high -That has now all changed with the Repeal of the WEP and the GPO.Some of you that knew they were going to be impacted by the GPO might have never even filed a claim for these Suvivors or Spousal benefits - you can now but the procedure isn’t up quite yet.  Maybe soon. I just want to know how many here will be filing for these Survivors or Spousal benefits because the GPO has been repealed. I don’t think the government knows how many there are of you. 

I have spoken with three agents from Hartford Insurance, and I find their process quite interesting. They do not provide quotes over the phone. Instead, you must print the home and auto questionnaire from their outdated website, mail it to a PO Box in Lexington, KY, and wait up to ten business days for a call back with your quote, assuming your application is approved. They do not have a fax number, nor can you email the forms to them. One agent even told me he couldn't take my information because their system was updating and suggested I call back later. When I asked why he couldn't return my call, he hesitantly replied that he could. This entire process feels problematic and even borders on a scam. I called 1-888-284-4616 and 1-888-684-5603.

Im sent emails asking to be an advocate for this and that but I'm 55 and on disability, no savings after being forced to move in 2022 due to tangled deed and now, facing eviction because the property manager never told me about partial rent payment not made by me (debit is as good as cash) or coming from my account being returned non sufficient funds.    Seems even if you are on disability, you don't qualify for anything unless you are 65 plus (no disrespect to seniors is intended).  I've never been late for rent in my adult life and had i been informed about the NSF when it occurred, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in now.   Since when doesn't a property manager/landlord inform you that your check was returned by the bank?  (Wells Fargo should just be shut down).  My 55th bday was yesterday and I'm ready to give up.  Since moving, my credit score has dropped 300 points, and it's not getting better.  Having getting my credit straight and years

It seems the incoming administration is thinking about making major changes to Medicare and Social Security. I wonder what people are thinking about this, specifically, significant reductions in coverage and benefits. What are our options? Any thoughts you may have on how to deal with what might be disastrous for many of us on fixed incomes would be welcome.Thanks

My spouse needs to start ss payments BEFORE full retirement age. Do we specify to start the month of the birthday, when the payment amount changes, or the month AFTER the birthday? 

I am 71 years old and worked for the Post Office for over 30 years. I am collecting a government pension and was not eligible for spousal benefits due to GPO.I do have an online SS account and used the online calculator on the site to determine my ineligibility, so I never filed a formal application. Since the SS Fairness Act was passed, should I apply for benefits now, or wait until the SS admin updates the application process for people who only now have become eligible?

Did you know that we are now in the midst of the BIGGEST number of people turning  65 in a single year in U.S. history. And it will continue this way until about 2030 when the last of the Boomer Generation reaches their full retirement age.(FRA) So we are gonna have additional strain being put on Medicare and Social Security administrations in the next several years - More than 11,000 seniors a day will be signing up for Medicare and then Social Security -  For Retirement, some may be prepared, others maybe partially - others not so much.  Many of them will continue to work - full time or part time - well past their FRA.   ARE YOU READY? IF ALREADY THERE - would there be anything you would have changed in your plan for retirement? For me, since I am well past this age now, I would have not thought so much about saving tax money by contributing to a tax-deferred plan like a Traditional IRA or 401K during my working years - I would h

This is a new experience for me.  I have never been subject to age discrimination, but as the saying goes “there is always a first time”.  My wife and I have been members / credit card holders with Sam’s club for twenty-three years.  Approximately eighteen months ago the staff at our local Sam’s club suggested we look at the Sam’s club plus member Synchrony master card.    True to the card’s brochure it offers many more perks and was a master card that could be used outside the Sam’s / Walmart family of sites.  It increased our yearly membership cost to $110 but the cash back perk on select sales more than made up for the membership.  All was perfect until three months age. My wife used the Synchrony bank master card to purchase admission tickets to Silver Springs State Park in Florida.  This is our home county, and the park is a world known ecology park with famed glass bottom boats.  Synchrony denied the purchase and shut down th

What Social Security Benefits Changes Do You Want?  These are some that have recently been proposed - YEA or NAY on these?  If you don’t understand what these are - you need not vote.  There are so many of these that I am only going to post some of them at any one time so as not to overwhelm you.  - Thus this is Part One. I am not including any proposed offsets if they were mentioned - we can cover those later.  For the ones for which there were no suggested offsets, I did include those and the estimated cost to the Trust Fund. 1.  Should the Repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset be extended to the people of our territory Puerto Rico?This would bring the total increase in liability to the Social Security Trust Fund, including what has already been passed for the repeal of the WEP and GPO to $200+ BILLION over (10) years. 2.  Should the Social Security lump-sum death payment increase from $25

Per today's SSA Blog, going forward users must use either an ID.me or a login.gov to log into their SSA account You can still use your username and password for "awhile". And the blog says there are helpful instructions once you log in to set up a new login.gov account (if you already have a login.gov account there's no need to create a new one). See the press release here (https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2024/#7-2024-1) and the blog here (https://blog.ssa.gov/changes-are-coming-to-how-you-access-social-securitys-online-services/)  (better yet, just Google for this information so you are sure the links are safe. Best practice) I have all three login methods but nowadays I just use ID.me (a private concern). Some time back there were various issues with login.gov on SSA but they seem to be resolved now. I didn't like ID.me because it sent me to a "junk" page where they try to sell stuff. But I eventually realized you can configure things so you don't get sent

Will there be any coverage of the changes to Social Security eligibility/payments because of the changes to WEP/GPO?

The December Social Security benefit is paid in arrears, so payment is in January of the following year. So, for example, in the most recent case, is December's (2022) benefit considered as income, for income tax purposes, for 2022 or 2023?thx!

  Are there many retirees that are concerned about buying health care on the ACA , if the subsidies expire at the end of 2025?   What will happen to people with pre-existing conditions?  How will retired people under 65 with lower incomes afford the premiums without the subsidy?  How will more uninsured older Americans play out in health care?  How will it effect premiums to have less covered people.  Does AARP have a stance on the ACA?  Are you planning to give us some insight into what we can expect in 2026?   Are you interested in those of us between the ages of 55 and 64 who use healthcare.gov to purchase health care.  My state job directed all of it's retiree to the ACA for health care and now I do not know what it's future will become?  Thank you Susan

So what is done is done - Passage of HR 82 happened last nite in the Senate. But now we need more money to come into the Social Security Trust Fund ASAP to help make up for this $ 200 Billion being paid to these involved GPO/WEP workers over the next (10) years So why are these [involved] folks and other citizens not demanding that ALL State and Local Government Employers/Employees be required to participate within the Social Security System? I mean why not get BOTH retirement offerings like others do? Wouldn’t that make them even happier? If this had been required way back in the 80’s when the Federal government changed their offerings, we would not have this problem now. I am so angry, I could spit - the next thing you know, we are gonna have widows and widowers applying to get both their own benefits AND that of their deceased spouse or some such lunacy. This legislation did not go thru all the committees for evaluation - not in the House nor in the Senate -

It’s been 40 years since the social security tax was imposed back in 1984. And the AARP has done nothing to repeal that tax. That seems like it should have been a year after year priority with election targeting of which congress persons failed to support the repeal of the tax.Luckily, the Trump administration has promised to finally repeal it. Though I doubt it will actually happen. It didn't during his 2016 term. So ultimately, the AARP needs to show its value by creating a campaign targeting members of congress who do not 100% commit to removing the tax. Did you know the income levels where the tax kicks in are not indexed for inflation?  The government very slyly found a way to erode your benefits. The $34,000 income threshold was set back in 1984, would be about $100,000 in today’s dollars. Meaning you would pay no Social Security tax until your income exceeded $100,000 for a married couple filing jointly.See this youtube video that explains it quite well:https://www.you

  I lived in Costa Rica for 20 years (thinking I would live there forever) but returned to the US when my health declined and it was impossible for me to continue to live alone.  I  began receiving Social Security benefits while living in Costa Rica but opted out of Medicare Part B because I was covered by the National Health coverage plan there.   Now, Medicare wants to charge me penalties that, with the current premium, would be almost half of my monthly benefit. Has anyone had this experience or does anyone know how to deal with this?  I have read that if you lived in a foreign country and were self-employed and had the National Health coverage, you wouldn't have to pay the penalty.  Any ideas? Thanks for any help.  

This article in the November 2024 Bulletin by Richard Eisenberg should mention MaxiFi.  It is a wonderful tool to plan withdrawals from pre-tax and post-tax retirement accounts and other financial accounts (along with other information the user provides to plan for a uniform lifestyle until a distant future date.  It is VERY effective and planning such transfers, including Roth conversions.  IT does not require any information about actual account numbers to be shared; all information is in the user's control.  I strongly recommend it.  It should be included in the list of tools retirees and about-to-retire members should use. 

Hey everyone! Christmas is around the corner, and while online shopping is super convenient, it can also strain your wallet if you’re not careful. Luckily, there are free and easy ways to save money while shopping for holiday gifts! Watch for Holiday Sales: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and pre-Christmas sales offer huge discounts. Keep an eye on these events for the best deals.Use Coupon Codes: Websites like Discountcodez or Honey can help you find discounts and free shipping offers before you check out.Set a Budget: Make a list, decide on a spending limit for each person, and track your purchases to stay within your budget.Compare Prices: Use tools like Google Shopping to find the best deals across different stores.Look for Refurbished Gifts: For tech items, refurbished or pre-owned options can save you a lot without compromising quality.With these simple tips, you can shop smarter, save money, and still get thoughtful gifts for your loved ones. Do you have any other holiday-

My husband and I just found out that our plans to convert our retirement funds into Roth IRAs will have a huge negative affect on our Medicare premiums!  We both have pensions and planned to use our retirement funds as our insurance in case we need long term care down the road.  Otherwise we wanted to convert so the funds will be inheritable by our children as Roths without RMDs.  We also wanted to reduce our eventual RMDs that will start when we're 72. In all our research about the benefits and risks of conversion, we NEVER heard of the affect this would have on our Medicare premiums.   What I'm looking for is the reason why this happens, when we're already going to pay the taxes due on those funds, and are not cashing them out to use as income, but really rolling them over into the Roths to stay invested?  This really doesn't seem fair, and now we're stuck with the choice of paying extremely high medicare premiums, or discontinuing our conversi

As the title implies, I started receiving a survival benefit on my wife's record when I was 60 years old.  I am fairly clear that I can switch over to my own benefit any time after age 62.  I am currently 67 and plan to wait for age 70.  My question is: If I am receiving a reduced survivors benefit, will that affect my Social Security benefit and amount?  BTW, yes, I have been all over the web looking for a concise answer to that question.  Many thanks in advance!

*** 2 Comments on the AARP Website. Stop by to read comments & leave yours. *** FROM ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! The season brings a surge of charity, package-delivery, online-shopping and other schemes, an AARP survey finds. By Christina Ianzito, AARP. Published November 18, 2024. Scams have become a part of our everyday lives, unfortunately: Between the phishing emails and texts from people pretending to be government officials or online retailers needing your personal information and robocalls warning of money owed, it can be exhausting. And these criminals don’t rest during the season of goodwill. In fact, they seem to work even harder to perpetrate fraud, according to a new AARP Fraud Watch Network report. ​​ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2024/holiday-related-scams-report.html

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! After one sister is victimized, they team up to take down a 20-year operation. By AARP. Published September 06, 2024. Penny signs up for a few magazine subscriptions, she thinks she is helping some kids with a school fundraiser. Little does she know that it will lead to years of harassment from telemarketers and the theft of much of her savings. But it will also lead Penny and her sister Nancy to help bring down a 20-year conspiracy that robbed more than 150,000 victims nationwide of millions of dollars. https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2024/magazine-telemarking-scam.html

I have made a fee posts about the problems I am having with EXPERIAN.  I see there are quite a few others having the same issue.AARP should include an article in the AARP magazine about what some of us are dealing with.Thank Yourockydean 

I signed up and paid for the AARP Smart Driver online course, and immediately landed on app.link.com site where they had saved the CC info that I used for the course. Seems fishy to me.AARP: is this legit?  I deleted the account immediately that apparently was created when I paid for the course. Perhaps I missed the verbiage that told me this was creating a 3rd party payment account, but if so then at best this is misleading.☺Thanks