Jul 18 Baby, it's you: Why boomers are an economic boon By Lincoln Caplan Between 2010 and 2030, the ratio of Americans 65 and older to those of working age is projected to increase by nearly 60 percent. With Americans living and working longer, Yale Law School's Lincoln Caplan questions the accuracy of the… Continue reading
Jul 14 How Social Security should guide when you marry a younger partner By Laurence Kotlikoff When there's an age difference between partners, and one is eligible for Social Security long before the other, when should the couple tie the knot? Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff advises one man how to maximize his own benefits and… Continue reading
Jul 07 Deciding when to take Social Security widows benefits can't get more complicated By Laurence Kotlikoff How do you know when you should take any of your Social Security benefits? As Larry Kotilikoff's column often reveals, it's complicated. But figuring out the best time to collect your widow(er)s benefits in relation to your retirement benefit is… Continue reading
Jun 30 How your lifetime Social Security benefits could be higher By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff shows two couples who are facing disabilities how to increase their lifetime benefits. First of all, they have to scrap their current collection strategies and realize that what they want to do and what they… Continue reading
Jun 23 What maxing out your Social Security benefits looks like in dollars By Laurence Kotlikoff Just how big a deal is maximizing your Social Security? It matters a lot when it comes to the dollars and cents of the lifetime benefits for which you'll be eligible. Larry Kotlikoff presents several cases, for individuals and couples,… Continue reading
Jun 16 What Social Security's Survivors Planner won't tell you about taking widows benefits By Laurence Kotlikoff Thanks to one of Social Security's nasty "gotchas," the survivor benefits that a widow(er) collects depend on when the late spouse took retirement benefits. Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff shows how the collection strategy of one deceased husband makes all… Continue reading
Jun 02 Your Social Security benefits depend on the specifics By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff says there is no general rule in trying to maximize your Social Security benefits. The precise amounts of what you and your current, ex-, or deceased spouse(s) earned and when you and they earned it… Continue reading
May 26 Why Social Security lowballs benefit estimates By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security's online calculators intentionally underestimate your benefits to encourage people to save more on their own, explains Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff. Continue reading
May 19 Protecting your spouse's Social Security when cancer cuts your time short By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff puts to rest a cancer patient's fears that he and his wife made a mistake by not having her file for spousal benefits as early as age 62 and explains how he can help leave… Continue reading
May 12 How the Social Security system rips off poor people By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are calculated in a highly progressive manner, but the system is plagued with catch-22s that disadvantage poor recipients. Larry Kotlikoff explains which benefit strategy will help a financially strapped retiree maximize her income. Continue reading