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Recent Articles from Tom Margenau
MARGENAU: Grocery Clerks, Managers and Maytags
Q: I want to share a little advice with your readers. I have had numerous dealings with my local Social Security office. And I have learned that you should never work with the […]
MARGENAU: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Based on some recent emails I received, I think it’s time to bring up again a message I’ve delivered more than a few times in the past: Don’t worry. Be happy. And that message is meant […]
MARGENAU: Government Health Care: A Before and After Story
I recently got a new knee. Or to be precise, I got my second new knee. About 14 years ago, I was limping around like an old man. X-rays showed […]
MARGENAU: Divorced Men and Social Security
Over the 29 years I’ve been writing this column, I have probably written a hundred columns directed at divorced women. But after answering some emails this week from men who had questions about benefits […]
MARGENAU: How Many Questions Can I Answer Today?
Usually, I will devote an entire column to answering just one question or dealing with just one Social Security issue. But every once in a while, I like to challenge myself […]
MARGENAU: Benefit Computations: Simple and Advanced
After doing this column for more than a quarter century, I’ve learned that with respect to how their benefits are figured, there are two kinds of potential Social Security beneficiaries. The vast […]
MARGENAU: The Real Story Behind Social Security Overpayments
I have seen several news stories recently that were critical of the Social Security Administration and the way the agency handles overpayments — money sent to Social Security beneficiaries that […]
MARGENAU: More Social Security Rules I Can’t Explain
I’ve always prided myself on being able to explain the rationale behind various Social Security rules and regulations. Many times, readers will send me emails in which they express utter […]
MARGENAU: Why Are There So Many Rules?
People frequently ask me one of two rhetorical questions. Sometimes they will say, usually out of frustration, “Why is Social Security so complicated?” Even though they were probably not looking for an answer, I give them […]
MARGENAU: Forbes Column Full of Holes
A recent edition of Forbes Magazine included an article called “Seven Ways Social Security Benefits are Unfair.” It went on to list various ways that Social Security payouts are supposedly actuarially indefensible and unjust. […]
MARGENAU: The Good Old Days at a Social Security Office Were Not Necessarily So!
I sometimes find myself waxing nostalgic about the “good old days” of working for the Social Security Administration. Even though when I started working for the SSA in 1973, the […]
MARGENAU: Identity Theft: Usually Not a Social Security Issue
Q: My purse was stolen and now I worry that someone might be using my Social Security number. I called the Social Security office and was told to contact credit […]
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