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Jonathan Peterson. Social Security For Dummies
Social Security For Dummies® To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Social Security For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box. Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Guide
Pages
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Getting Started with Social Security
What Social Security Is and Why You Need It
Understanding What Social Security Means for You
Benefits for retirees
THE ROOTS OF SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits for children
Benefits for survivors
Benefits for the disabled and their dependents
Appraising the Value of Social Security
SOCIAL SECURITY GROWS UP: SOME KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Understanding How You Pay for Social Security
How much you pay
Where your money goes
A CHANGING OUTLOOK
Getting the Most Out of Your Social Security Benefits
Getting in Touch with the Social Security Administration
A Breakdown of Benefits
Bringing Security to Old Age: Retirement Benefits
Who qualifies and when
How you qualify
How much you get
WHICH JOBS AREN’T COVERED
Estimating your retirement benefit
THE WINDFALL ELIMINATION PROVISION: IF YOU QUALIFY FOR A PENSION AS WELL AS SOCIAL SECURITY
Covering your spouse and children with retirement benefits
THE GOVERNMENT PENSION OFFSET PROVISION
Surviving the Loss of a Breadwinner
SOCIAL SECURITY’S BENCHMARK FOR BENEFITS: THE PRIMARY INSURANCE AMOUNT
Who qualifies
How much you get
Surviving spouses
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR BENEFIT EARLY
Surviving divorced spouses
Surviving children younger than 16
Surviving parents
Disabled survivors
How benefits are earned
GETTING A BOOST FROM SOCIAL SECURITY EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T WORKED MUCH
Paying Your Bills When You Can’t Work: Disability Benefits
Who qualifies
How you qualify
How much you get
When the Need Is Great: Supplemental Security Income
Deciding When to Start Collecting Retirement Benefits
Paying Attention to Your Full Retirement Age
Determining your full retirement age
Estimating how much you’ll get each month based on when you retire
USING YOUR NEST EGG TO DELAY CLAIMING
Looking at Life Expectancy When You Claim Benefits
Doing a break-even analysis: The payoff from different retirement dates
Considering what’ll happen if you live longer than you expect
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN? THINK AGAIN
Considering Your Spouse When You Claim Social Security
Recognizing the Potential Payoff of Working Later in Life
Putting It All Together: The Right Time to Begin Collecting Benefits
Protecting Your Number and Securing Your Card
Getting a Social Security Number
For U.S. citizens
For adults
For children
For noncitizens
Meeting the requirements as a permanent resident
Meeting the requirements as a temporary worker
Getting a card if you’re not authorized to work
Managing Your Social Security Card
If your card is lost or damaged
If your name changes
ESCAPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WITH A NEW NUMBER
Protecting Yourself by Protecting Your Number
Protecting your identity
IF SOMEONE ELSE IS USING YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO REPORT INCOME
BEWARE SCAMMERS WHO SAY THEY’RE FROM THE SSA
Knowing what to do if scammers get your number
COMPUTING A NUMBER THAT FOILS IDENTITY THIEVES
Taking the Plunge: Filing for Social Security
Signing Up for Benefits
When to Apply for Social Security Benefits
WHEN THE TIME CLOCK IS TICKING: YOUR PROTECTIVE FILING DATE
Where to Apply for Social Security Benefits
Online
In person
By phone
How to Apply for Social Security Benefits
Retirement benefits
Based on your own work record
PROVING YOUR AGE: NO TIME FOR VANITY
APPLYING FOR MEDICARE
Based on the work record of a parent, grandparent, or current or former spouse
CURRENT OR FORMER SPOUSES
CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN
Survivor benefits
Disability benefits
Supplemental Security Income benefits
How You Get Your Money: The Check Is Not in the Mail
SHOW ME THE MONEY: WHEN YOU’LL RECEIVE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENT
Determining How Much You’ve Earned
Your Social Security Statement
How to access it
How to understand it
Estimate of monthly benefits
Earnings record
Social Security Calculators
Social Security’s own tools
AARP’s Social Security calculator
Other online calculators
FIGURING YOUR BENEFIT THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: DOING THE MATH
Navigating the System
Being a Smart Consumer of Social Security
Keeping good records
Making sense of the correspondence you get from Social Security
Making (and showing up for) appointments
Getting the Answers and Help You Need
Finding answers online
Signing up for a “my Social Security” account
Finding out whether you’re eligible
Mastering the ins and outs of Social Security
Having someone on your side when you deal with Social Security
A friendly advocate
A professional advocate
OFFERING HELP TO A LOVED ONE
Life Happens: Keeping the Social Security Administration in the Loop
Setting the (Earnings) Record Straight
Halting Your Retirement Benefits
Recovering a Lost or Stolen Social Security Check
IF YOU THINK YOU’RE NOT BEING PAID ENOUGH
Getting Dinged for an Overpayment
Getting Social Security in a Global Economy
U.S. citizens
If you worked for a foreign employer
If you live abroad
Noncitizens
MAKING SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT BENEFIT
Registering a Complaint with the Social Security Administration
SPECIAL ISSUES FOR VETERANS
When You and Social Security Disagree: The Appeals Process
Reconsideration: Taking Your First Step
DO YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL ADVOCATE?
Deciding whether to file a request for reconsideration
APPROVAL RATES FOR DISABILITY
Taking the steps to file
Going to an Administrative Law Judge to Solve Your Problem
Requesting a hearing
Preparing for your hearing
Participating in your hearing
Knowing What to Expect from the Appeals Council
Taking Your Claim to Federal Court
KEEPING THE APPEALS PROCESS MOVING
Who Benefits and When
Spousal Benefits: Watching Out for Each Other
Who Qualifies and Who Doesn’t
Traditional spouses
Same-sex spouses
Common-law spouses
Divorced spouses
Widows and widowers
THE HISTORY OF THE REMARRIAGE RULES
How Much You Can Expect to Get
How to Maximize Your Benefits
Maximizing your lifetime benefits as a married couple
Getting the biggest benefit possible for your surviving spouse
OLDER WOMEN HAVE A BIG STAKE IN SOCIAL SECURITY
Family Benefits: Who Gets What
Defining Who’s in the Family
Spouses
Parents or grandparents
Natural children
Adopted children
Stepchildren
Grandchildren
Parents of a worker
Identifying the Benefits Family Members Are Eligible For
Dependent children under 18
Dependent children 18 and over
Disabled adult children
Grandchildren
Parents of a worker
Looking at How Having a “Child in Care” May Affect Your Own Benefits
CALCULATING THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FOR YOUR FAMILY
Understanding the Family Maximum
SCIENCE COLLIDES WITH SOCIAL SECURITY: WHEN A BABY IS CONCEIVED AFTER THE BREADWINNER HAS DIED
Counting on Kids’ Benefits When Parents Live Apart
Managing Benefits on Behalf of a Child
When You Can’t Work: Social Security Disability Benefits
The Two Types of Disability Benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance
Supplemental Security Income
How Social Security Defines Disability
Are you working for money?
Do you have a severe medical problem?
Is your disability on “the list”?
Can you perform the tasks required by your former job or a similar job?
Can you do any other available work in the economy?
How to Make Your Case
Cutting through the red tape
Gathering the best medical evidence: The role of your doctor
Getting help
Showing that you’ve tried to solve your problem
Telling the truth
What to Do If You Get Turned Down
What Happens to Your Benefit If You Can Go Back to Work
DISABILITY BENEFITS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Social Security and Your Future
Enrolling in Medicare
Understanding the ABCs (and D) of Medicare
Part A: Hospital insurance
Part B: Medical insurance
Part C: Medicare Advantage
Part D: Prescription-drug coverage
Qualifying for Medicare
Signing Up for Medicare
Deciding what parts to enroll in
Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D
Keeping track of the enrollment periods
Knowing your options for applying for Medicare
Paying Premiums
PAYING EXTRA IF YOUR INCOME IS HIGH
Getting Hit with Late Fees
Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D
Buying Extra Insurance: Medigap
Getting Financial Help If You Need It
Extra Help for Part D
Medicaid
Medicare savings programs
Pharmaceutical assistance programs
Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
State pharmaceutical assistance programs
State health insurance assistance programs
Working in “Retirement”
The Pros and Cons of Not Retiring at Retirement Age
Facing the challenges of working later in life
Age discrimination
Unexpected events
Health problems
An unsteady job market
Youthful co-workers
Reaping the benefits of working later in life
The Earnings Test: How Your Payments Are Calculated When You Work
How the earnings limit works
How exceeding the limit may cost your family
How the earnings test affects benefits
Getting a break for your first months of retirement
BEING PENALIZED FOR WORKING
Reporting earnings to the Social Security Administration
Which income should be counted
SPECIAL PAYMENTS
When your income should be counted
The deadline for filing an earnings report
When You Go Back to Work after Retirement
Special Considerations for the Self-Employed
Tax deductions
Work credits
Earnings limit
Reporting requirements
Uncle Sam Giveth and Taketh Away: How Benefits Are Taxed
PAYING YOUR TAXES AHEAD OF TIME
Shaping a Financial Future You Can Live With
Envisioning Your Life with Social Security
Figuring out how much money you need
Determining how much income you need
USING A RETIREMENT CALCULATOR
Narrowing the gap between too little income and too much spending
Working with a financial professional
Preparing for Life on Social Security
Purchasing an annuity
Signing up for Medicare
Handling home equity
Getting long-term-care insurance
Understanding how Social Security interacts with private pensions
Managing your investments
The Part of Tens
Ten Myths about Social Security
Myth: Social Security Is a Ponzi Scheme
Myth: Your Social Security Number Has a Racial Code in It
Myth: Members of Congress Don’t Pay into the System
Myth: Social Security Is Going Broke
Myth: The Social Security Trust Funds Are Worthless
Myth: You’d Be Better Off Investing in Stocks
Myth: Undocumented Immigrants Make Illegal Social Security Claims
Myth: When Social Security Started, People Didn’t Even Live to 65
Myth: Congress Keeps Pushing Benefits Higher than Intended
Myth: Older Folks Are Greedy Geezers Who Don’t Need All Their Social Security
Ten Reasons Young People Should Care about Social Security
If You’re Lucky, You’ll Be Old Someday
Your Parents Will Be Old Even Sooner
You’re Paying into the System Now
You Benefit When Social Security Keeps People Out of Poverty
You May Need Benefits Sooner than You Think
Social Security Ensures That Time Doesn’t Eat Away at Your Benefit
Social Security Benefits Are One Thing You Can Hang Your Hat On
The System Works
The Alternatives Are Worse
Life Is Risky
Ten Choices Facing the Country about the Future of Social Security
Whether to Increase the Earnings Base
Whether to Cover More Workers
Whether to Raise Taxes
Whether to Cut Benefits
Whether to Modify the Inflation Formula
Whether to Raise the Full Retirement Age
How to Treat Women More Fairly
Whether to Divert People’s Taxes to Private Accounts
Whether to Create a Minimum Benefit
Whether to Give a Bonus for Longevity
Appendixes
Glossary
Resources
Social Security
Medicare
AARP
Other Sources
Strengthening Social Security
Index. A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
About the Author
Dedication
Author’s Acknowledgments
WILEY END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
