social security retirement benefits

While millions of Americans rely on Social Security benefits in their retirement years, not everyone qualifies.

Here are some general guidelines regarding Social Security eligibility:

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How are Social Security Benefits Calculated?

by kristine on July 24, 2010

A popular question that I hear from baby boomers getting ready to retire is “how are Social Security benefits calculated?” This is an important question because it could affect how long you need to work, whether you should continue to work during your retirement years, or other aspects of your retirement plan. First, please note [...]

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Spouses who do not work or who have substantially lower earnings than their spouse may be able to collect Social Security benefits based on their spouse’s earnings. Below is a common question about spousal benefits.

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Most people underestimate the impact that Social Security retirement benefits will have on their retirement.  They either assume it won’t be there for them, or that it won’t be enough to make a difference. The truth is that Social Security will be there for you (although I suspect it will be revised several times to [...]

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Common Social Security Retirement Questions

by kristine on June 16, 2009

As Baby Boomers are getting closer and closer to retirement, they have many questions about Social Security retirement benefits, such as… Will Social Security be there for me when it’s my time to retire? We’ve heard for years that Social Security is going broke.  Millions of Americans rely on Social Security to fund all or [...]

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What is Social Security? A Brief History…

by kristine on June 14, 2009

Social security programs first appeared in Europe in response to families moving from farming to working for others as the world became industrialized. Germany established the first social security program way back in 1889. In the United States, the Great Depression triggered an economic crisis that caused millions of seniors to become impoverished. President Franklin [...]

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Currently, there are several ages to consider when it comes to Social Security retirement benefits.

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