ArcaMax

Q: My mother told me she remembers a time when women had to "live in sin" (those are her words) to avoid losing Social Security benefits. She couldn't elaborate, but she thinks some senior women still have to do that today. Do you know what she is talking about?

A: Yes, I know exactly what she is talking about. It has to do with the payment of ...Read more

I've learned over the years that when it comes to Social Security retirement benefit calculations, there are three kinds of people. There are those who just want to know what their benefit is going to be and don't really care too much about how it's calculated. Then there are those people who want a general idea of how their benefit will be ...Read more

For years, I've been hearing silly rumors about undocumented immigrants and Social Security. And those rumors seem to have multiplied many times in this election season. Here are several examples.

Q: I've heard on the news that illegal aliens are getting $2,000 per month from Social Security. This is an outrage. I am a born and raised American....Read more

Sometimes I'll include something in a column about a broader topic that I think is just a small, almost insignificant piece of the puzzle. But then that nugget ends up confusing many people, causing them to write to me for clarification.

That happened recently when I wrote about the measly $255 one-time benefit that Social Security pays when ...Read more

I've commented many times before that Social Security is a global phenomenon. Almost every country on the planet has a Social Security system in place for its citizens. (And many countries had social insurance plans long before we got around to implementing our program in 1935.)

In our global economy, it is not uncommon for people to have lived...Read more

There is probably nothing I am asked more often than some version of this question: "When should I file for my Social Security?" But as I've said repeatedly in this column, I am not a financial planner. So I really can't advise you about the best time to start your Social Security benefits. I can tell you that there is no magic or secret formula...Read more

Every single day, more than a few of the emails I get from readers start out with this (or a similar) phrase: "I'll tell you what's wrong with Social Security!" They proceed to do just that. Sadly, their little rant is almost wrong and based on a misunderstanding of Social Security rules or misinformation they picked up -- usually off the ...Read more

As I've pointed out over and over again in this column, there are thousands of myths about Social Security benefits. Those myths are usually started online, but then they get picked up by uninformed people and spread from one nattering novice to another. I couldn't squeeze a thousand myths into a book, but I have written one called "Social ...Read more

Q: My husband of 49 years died a few months ago. I filed for widow's benefits and started receiving them with no problem. But I got a letter telling me that I was not eligible for the $255 death benefit. When I called the Social Security people to ask about this, they told me that I wasn't due that one-time benefit because we were not living ...Read more

People frequently write to me with an idea to change Social Security law in some way that they think is clever and unique. But I usually have to tell them that their proposal has been considered in the past. After all, Social Security has been around for almost 90 years now, and for those nine decades, people have constantly been coming up with ...Read more

People are always telling me that Social Security rules are so complicated. Actually, most of the basic rules are rather straightforward and simple. But to the extent that the program does get messy, there is a reason why that happens. It's because life gets messy. In other words, if our lives weren't so complicated, Social Security laws wouldn'...Read more

I feel guilty when I repeat information in a column. But sometimes a message I delivered in an old column just demands to be repeated. And I was reminded of that this week when I got more than a few emails from readers who all said basically the same thing. It usually goes like this: "It's so hard to stay current with Social Security because the...Read more

Disability benefits for senior citizens: It's a topic I've written about before. But because older folks are always asking me about getting disability benefits from Social Security, I don't mind updating the column every year or so.

First, here are some ground rules that vary depending on your age. If you are over your full retirement age, ...Read more