This is going to be a column about a special procedure that the Social Security Administration routinely uses that is intended to help people by protecting their rights to possible benefits. It’s called a “protective filing date.” In a nutshell, if you contact the SSA and tell them you intend to file for some kind
If I had a million dollars, I’d buy commercial time at the upcoming Super Bowl and run an ad that says, in big bold letters, “SSI is not Social Security.” I have written dozens of past columns about this topic. But I’ve just got to do so again. It seems to me that just about
There are some columns I could repeat over and over again — because I’m asked the same questions over and over again. One of the most common questions I’m asked is this: “How is my Social Security benefit figured?” I’ve answered this question many times in past columns, and I’m going to do it again
People frequently write to me with an idea to change Social Security law in some way that they think is clever and unique. But I usually must tell them that their proposal has been considered in the past. After all, Social Security has been around for 80 years now, and for all of those eight