Online Tools to Help Plan for Financial Security

[AARPLynne]

AARP offers online tools to help with your path to financial security. Explore the AARP Social Security Benefits Calculator to help determine when to claim your benefits and the AARP Retirement Calculator to find out when--and how--to retire the way you want. 

Are your retirement plans on track?

[retiredtraveler]

As I explained in another thread, and won't repeat the deatils here, is that you have to do some major planning, which should take you a couple of years, to calculate your future expenses. You don't have 'financial security' simply through income. You have to try to figure out, and plan for, all kinds of expenses depending on your living situation. Car repairs, home maintenance, health care costs, travel, etc. This is a long process --- can't sit down for a couple of evenings and do this.

[GailL1]

Hope AARP included a footnote or some such marking for those who might be affected by the WEP or GPO.  It seems to be a shocker for many - .

Social Security Administration - Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision

[AARPLynne]

Hello, @GailL1. Thank you, yes, that's addressed in Step 1, question 3: “Do you now or have you worked 10 years or more in government - at the local, state or federal level?”

If you answer “yes” the following information is provided in a pop-up window:

Does it matter if I'm a government worker?

Whether you work for the government can have an effect on your level of Social Security benefits. For example, if you are a government employee under the Civil Service Retirement System, you may not be eligible for benefits (unless you have other employment covered under Social Security). Government employment can also decrease your benefits through the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

Under the WEP, retirement benefits on your record are reduced based on the number of years you paid into Social Security. The GPO offsets Social Security benefits you may get as a dependent on your spouse's account by a portion of your government pension.

To fully describe how the WEP and GPO work is beyond the scope of this tool. However, if you have any earnings under employment in which no Social Security taxes were deducted, you may need to learn more about the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset on the Social Security Administration website.

Windfall Elimination Provision: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10045.html

Government Pension Offset: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10007.html