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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 […]
MARGENAU: Lawyers and Social Security Disability
Q: You have written past columns in which you said it is very difficult to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. I think just the opposite is true. It is so easy to get […]
MARGENAU: An Old and Whacky Social Security Rant
A reader shared with me an email he got from an acquaintance. It is a Social Security screed that is filled with half-baked ideas, exaggerations and outright lies. The reader said he […]
MARGENAU: When My Word Isn’t Good Enough
Readers are always asking me to explain various Social Security rules and regulations. But sometimes they want more. They want to see something official — something in “black and white.” […]
MARGENAU: Two Social Security Benefits You Never Heard Of
I’m going to give you two words. And I will buy you lunch if you can tell me what connection they have with Social Security. Here are the words: Pneumoconiosis and […]
MARGENAU: Explaining Social Security ‘Claim’ Numbers
Q: I am a 78-year-old recent widow. I got my own Social Security number when I was about 20. But since my husband and I started getting Social Security benefits […]
MARGENAU: Raising the Cap on Taxable Income Has Drawbacks
I have probably written 100 columns about possible Social Security reforms. Well here comes column number 101! What is prompting my discussion of the issue this time is that a certain reform proposal has been […]
MARGENAU: Simple and Smart Update
Readers are always asking me if I could recommend a good book about Social Security. I always steer them to the best book out there. It’s called “Social Security Simple […]
MARGENAU: Retroactive Benefits Not a Big Deal
I just don’t get people’s fascination with retroactive Social Security retirement benefits. I can understand that on the surface, the idea of getting a big retroactive check from the government […]
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