Category - Social Security

Remember when we talked about how your Social Security Benefit is calculated? Your highest 35 earning years during your career are put into a formula, and the earnings are indexed, then averaged by dividing the result by 420, the number of months in 35 years. And if you have less than 35 years of earnings, those years without earnings are counted as zeros… So, you can guess what might happen when you have years with zero earnings in your record. Naturally your average is going to be reduced (perhaps dramatically) by any year when you had zero earnings. Let’s say you have 35 years of earnings at the maximum amount, which will give you (for 2022) a FRA benefit of $3,262. But if you only had 30 years at the maximum earnings amount, your benefit would be reduced to $3,010, an annual reduction of $3,024. Taking this further, if there […]

The post The Impact of Zero Years appeared first on Getting Your Financial Ducks In A Row.

There’s a limit to the earnings you can have while collecting SS before FRA. This article explains how it works when you first begin.

The post Earnings Tests in the Year You Begin Benefits appeared first on Getting Your Financial Ducks In A Row.

What you need to know before talking to Social Security (SSA) – make sure you’re getting the information you need to make decisions.

The post Talking to the Social Security Office appeared first on Getting Your Financial Ducks In A Row.

How can you check the current status of your Social Security benefits? Or get an estimate of your future benefits? Here’s how-

The post How to Check Your Social Security Benefits appeared first on Getting Your Financial Ducks In A Row.