Nation Feb 02 How to collect your ex’s Social Security, even if you’re not speaking Ex-spouses can’t control what Social Security benefits their exes collect on their work records. What they want or don't want you to receive makes no difference. But there are still requirements to collecting off of an ex-spouse. Social Security expert…
Nation Jan 26 How can Uncle Sam keep our unused Social Security benefits? Once a person dies, the Social Security benefits to which he or she was entitled when alive do not automatically go to their survivors. Some readers think that's unfair. But as Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff explains, Social Security works…
Nation Jan 23 Social Security’s Christmas present: Benefit cuts for millions of disabled workers Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff highlights a recent change in Social Security's operating manual that, while seemingly obscure, hurts millions of Americans who receive disability benefits. In effect, Kotlikoff argues, Social Security is now treating people with disabilities as second…
Nation Jan 15 What’s the most fiscally responsible country in the developed world? Countries like Germany have gotten away with lecturing others about their fiscal prudence. But maybe the Germans should take a look around them, argues economist Larry Kotlikoff, to see which European Union country is doing it better.
Nation Jan 12 How many husbands’ Social Security benefits can you collect? If you're one of the millions of Americans who have been married multiple times, you may be eligible to collect benefits from ex-spouses, deceased spouses and current spouses, but never at the same time, explains Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff.
Nation Jan 06 Social Security 101: Don’t count on dying on time Just because your parents didn't live beyond a certain age, doesn't mean that you shouldn't plan on doing so, either. The assumption that you'll need more money later for retirement should guide all of your Social Security collection decisions, especially…
Nation Dec 29 Are more FICA taxes worth it? Social Security as longevity insurance Social Security benefits are inflation indexed and continue until you die. There is nothing like them that you can buy on the insurance market, says Larry Kotlikoff. That's why paying more FICA taxes, often by working longer, may pay off…
Nation Dec 23 Will Social Security count my big earnings if I lose my job before 66? If you lose your high-paying job before full retirement age, you don't lose Social Security benefits you've already paid for, says expert Larry Kotlikoff. What you might miss out on, though, is an opportunity to raise your lifetime benefits even…
Nation Dec 15 Why does it feel like Social Security’s ripping me off? You may be entitled to Social Security benefits on more than one account and believe that you deserve all of those benefits after you and your (ex)-spouses contributed to the Social Security system. But the reality, Larry Kotlikoff explains, is…
Nation Dec 11 How Social Security still discriminates against same-sex couples Even if a same-sex couple is married in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, if they live in a state where it's not, and one spouse tries to collect spousal or survivor benefits, he or she will not be…