The Benefits Blog

The Benefits Blog provides expert insights, updates, and strategies on Social Security and Medicare, tailored for financial professionals looking to enhance their knowledge and better serve their clients. Stay informed with the latest developments and tips to maximize benefits for your clients.

Widow's SSDI and Survivor Benefits Eligibility full retirement age (fra) hey marc! social security disability insurance (ssdi) survivor benefit May 28, 2021

Quick question regarding SSDI: I have a client whose husband died a few months ago. He was age 59 and she is 60, and they were both collecting SSDI benefits. The SS office called her and told her she’s eligible for an increased benefit based on her deceased husband’s record. Is this correct or is th...

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Canadian Citizen’s Eligibility for U.S. Spousal Benefits full retirement age (fra) government pension offset (gpo) hey marc! spousal benefits windfall elimination provision (wep) May 06, 2021

We have a client couple who lived in Canada for several years and then moved to the US and have been living here for the last 10 years. The wife is a Canadian citizen with Canadian work history and Canadian Social Security benefits. She is working in the US and plans to work to get a 10-year work hi...

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How to Apply for Social Security Spousal Benefits hey marc! social security applications spousal benefits Apr 23, 2021

Our client was told by a Social Security representative that she would have to go to a Social Security office to apply for spouse benefits.  Is this true?  Are there any other options?

Spousal benefits can typically be filed for online. However, if your client is already receiving their own retirem...

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Determining FRA Start Date Based on Birthdate full retirement age (fra) hey marc! Mar 16, 2021

If a client’s birthday is 8/2/1956, is his FRA effective start date of 66-4 months in December or November?

Full Retirement Age (FRA) is the age at which you become eligible to receive your full Social Security retirement benefits without any reductions. The FRA varies depending on the year of your...

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How to Correct Bank Information After Applying for Social Security hey marc! social security applications Jan 25, 2021

We have a client who recently applied for Social Security online and after it was complete, realized he entered an old bank routing number and account. Do you know the quickest and most efficient way for him to get that changed? He isn’t starting payments until April, so he should have plenty of tim...

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How to Identify and Handle Potential Social Security Scams After a Spouse's Death hey marc! Dec 17, 2020

A client recently lost his spouse and now he’s wondering if he got scammed. Does this sound legit?  About a month ago he got a letter from the Social Security Administration saying that there were funds remaining that had been unpaid to Shirley (deceased) and that they needed information from him in...

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Beau Henderson Named NSSA® Advisor of the Year for 2020 Dec 16, 2020

The National Social Security Association (NSSA®) in Cincinnati has named Beau Henderson, CEO of RichLife Advisors, LLC in Gainesville, Georgia, as its National Social Security Advisor (NSSA®) Advisor of the Year.

The award was announced by Marc Kiner of Blue Ash, a board member of the National Soci...

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Can Returning to Work Affect Social Security Disability and Future Retirement Benefits? hey marc! primary insurance amount (pia) social security disability spousal benefits Nov 27, 2020

If I have a client who was permanently disabled and was drawing disabled benefits based upon his prior salaried employment, but then returned to work as a self-employed individual, would he still be eligible for SS benefits upon retirement based off his years as a salaried employee? Would they still...

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Can TRS Members Claim Spousal Benefits While Still Working? full retirement age (fra) government pension offset (gpo) hey marc! spousal benefits teacher retirement system (tra) Nov 06, 2020

If a person is still working and is paying into TRS (Teacher Retirement System of Texas), they cannot not take spousal or ex-spousal benefits? A new client thinks she can take her ex-spouse benefits while working and not receiving the government pension. She is FRA.

Your new client can indeed take ...

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Is an Executor Liable for a Deceased’s Social Security Overpayment? hey marc! Oct 02, 2020

We have a client who is the executor of an estate. They just received a notice from Social Security administration, stating that the decedent owes Social Security money for payments received prior to his death. The letter states that the executor is liable if the estate cannot pay. The letter also s...

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