Many baby boomers are not slowing down. In 2021, 25.8 percent of adults 65 and older worked. That compares to 30.5 percent of teenagers holding a job. Many seniors postpone Social Security when working, but what about Medicare? The regulations say you must sign up for Medicare when you turn 65. But is this always…

I think I get more questions about benefits for spouses than I do about any other kind of Social Security benefit. And even though I’m using the gender-neutral term, “spouses,” these questions almost always come from women wondering what benefits they might be due on their husband’s—or ex-husband’s—Social Security record. Or they come from men…

As people born between 1965 and 1980—also known as Generation X—approach retirement age, a new study finds them unprepared financially. The study from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) sees “dismal” prospects for the so-called Forgotten Generation compared with more financially influential baby boomers. “The leading edge of Generation X will enter retirement in…

The next cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase for Social Security recipients might be better than what was previously predicted, according to a nonpartisan seniors group. The Senior Citizen’s League advocacy group said that the COLA increase for 2024 might be around 3 percent, which is far lower than 2023’s 8.7 percent increase, according to a press release…

The two trust funds undergirding Social Security will have a zero balance in 10 years, forcing a 25 percent reduction in payments to all beneficiaries, Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), reported to Congress. The Social Security program includes two trust funds, Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance, which provide…

The two trust funds that undergird the Social Security system will have a zero balance in 10 years, forcing a 25 percent reduction in payments to all beneficiaries, Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), told lawmakers on July 12. The Social Security program includes two trust funds, Old-Age and Survivors Insurance…

Q: In a recent column, you highlighted some harsh words from a guy who was critical of the government in general and the Social Security Administration in particular. I just wanted to tell you that my recent experience with the SSA filing a claim for retirement benefits could not have gone more smoothly. I used…

I’ve received a lot of emails recently from readers trying to calculate how much they paid in Social Security taxes over the years and then wanting to compare that to what they will get out of the system in return. More often than not, they are trying to prove that Social Security is a rotten…

Q: I am a 78-year-old recent widow. I got my own Social Security number when I was about 20. But since my husband and I started getting Social Security benefits about 15 years ago, the correspondence I got from the Social Security Administration showed my husband’s Social Security number with a letter “B” behind it….

A seniors group said that Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) might be smaller for 2024 than previously estimated. The Senior Citizen’s League said the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the COLA, which will be announced later this year, will likely be around 2.7 percent. The previous estimate from the Senior…