top of page
BLOG
HelpWithMySocialSecurity.com is a blog intended to give you information on Social Security topics. Neither the blog, nor Jim Saulnier and Associates, LLC, are in any way approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Social Security Administration.
Jim Saulnier and Associates, LLC is a retirement planning firm that can assist you with your Social Security concerns.

Search


What is the Earnings Test?
Social Security was originally designed to replace a portion of your income after you retire. Yet for a variety of reasons many people...

Chris Stein, CFP®
May 31, 20162 min read


Do the GPO or WEP Transfer to Survivors?
Question from this week deals with the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provisions of Social...

Chris Stein, CFP®
May 24, 20162 min read


Basics of the Representative Payee
For those people needing assistance managing their finances while receiving Social Security benefits the SSA has a program where another...

Chris Stein, CFP®
May 17, 20163 min read


The Other Social Security Tax
Springtime always leads to lots of tax questions. Just ask your friendly, neighborhood tax accountant… Our practice is the same since...

Chris Stein, CFP®
May 10, 20162 min read


When Is a Quarter Not a Quarter?
Today I bring you what turns out to be a bit of a tragic story. We had a reader contact us who had been denied Survivor Benefits, even...

Chris Stein, CFP®
May 3, 20162 min read


Survivor vs Retirement Benefit – Which to Start First?
This week a reader who is eligible for both a Survivor benefit as well as their own Retirement benefit asked which one they should claim,...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Apr 26, 20163 min read


Taxation of Social Security Benefits
In honor of Tax Day April 18th this year, we’re revisiting a topic we blogged about back in 2014: the taxation of Social Security...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Apr 19, 20162 min read


Switching From Widow’s Benefits to Retirement Benefits
Once again this week we have a question from the public. This time it is regarding a transition from widow’s benefits to one’s own...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Apr 12, 20162 min read


Social Security Filing Strategies for Spouses With a Large Age Difference
Another question has come in via email, and this time it involves Social Security filing strategies for spouses with a large age...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Apr 5, 20163 min read


Spousal Benefits and The Restricted Application Strategy
Not surprisingly, following the rule changes of a few months ago, we have received several questions like this one regarding Spousal...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Mar 29, 20162 min read


The Cost of Claiming Social Security Early
We have talked on previous posts about the dollar benefit reduction if you file for Social Security before your full retirement age...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Mar 22, 20162 min read


New Spousal Benefit Rules
We have talked quite extensively about two aspects of the recent changes to Social Security filing rules (see the recent posts on Filing...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Mar 15, 20163 min read


Three Retirement Risks Social Security Can Help Reduce
Social Security, for all its faults ─ and there are many ─ remains one of the most successful government insurance programs ever...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Mar 8, 20162 min read


What Is the Lump-Sum Death Benefit?
Most recipients of Social Security benefits have heard about this mysterious lump-sum death benefit that is paid out upon a worker’s...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Mar 1, 20163 min read


Divorced Spouse Benefits When Exes Don’t Talk
We have blogged about divorced spouse benefits several times, but we received an email question leading us to believe we may need to...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Feb 23, 20163 min read


State Taxation of Social Security Benefits
We’ve previously discussed the taxation of Social Security benefits on a federal level, but taxes can vary greatly from state to state...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Feb 16, 20162 min read


Social Security Spousal Benefit Refresher
This week we received an email with questions about Social Security Spousal Benefits. The emailer asked several things I believe...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Feb 9, 20162 min read


Recovering From the Social Security Earnings Test
Back in May, 2014 I blogged on how the Earnings Test can reduce your benefits if you are receiving benefits prior to your Full Retirement...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Jan 26, 20163 min read


What You Should Know About Social Security Benefit Errors
With over 59 Million Americans receiving some sort of Social Security benefits it is not surprising that occasional errors occur. So...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Jan 19, 20163 min read


Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number
In this day and age it is becoming more and more common to hear of instances of identity theft. Identity theft can take a wide range of...

Chris Stein, CFP®
Jan 12, 20162 min read
bottom of page
.png)

