Hi, I'm Dave. I started researching the US retirement system a couple of years ago and what I found genuinely bothered me. Millions of people who worked their entire lives and paid into Social Security for decades are walking away with significantly less than they're entitled to. Not because they did anything wrong — but because the rules are complicated, the guidance is scattered or expensive, and nobody sat down with them and said: here's your situation, here's what the numbers show, here's what to do. I have a background in finance and I read everything I could find — SSA publications, independent research from economists and CPAs, thousands of real stories from people trying to figure this out. Eventually I built a tool called ClaimRight to try to give people the clarity they deserve. But I'm here on AARP because the conversations matter just as much as any tool. I'm not here to sell anything. I'm here because I think you've earned every dollar you're owed.

Social Security claiming strategy — specifically the timing decisions that permanently affect your monthly benefit for life. Spousal and survivor benefit sequencing. The rules that changed with the Social Security Fairness Act in 2025 and what they mean for public sector workers who were previously shut out. How Social Security interacts with IRA withdrawals and federal taxation. The breakeven analysis behind delaying versus claiming early. And the situations where the conventional wisdom gets it wrong.