Here at the AMAC Foundation[1], we are keenly aware that knowledge about Social Security will help everyone choose a course of action which is best for their financial well-being. At times, it is someone who is looking ahead to retirement in the next 5 or 10 years, and other times it may be someone who has just become eligible, is tired of working, and wants to retire. And at still other times, it may be someone who has already claimed their Social Security benefit but is now having second thoughts and doesn’t know if they still have options.
But in every case, future retirees are perplexed by the complexity and sometimes seemingly contradictory rules which make up the U.S. Social Security program. The program is, after all, designed to handle just about any special circumstance which may arise among the 183 million people who pay into Social Security and the nearly 72 million people who collect it. And navigating this labyrinth of rules – over 2800 of them – is difficult, and available SSA documentation is often confusing. The AMAC Foundation’s staff of accredited and certified Social Security Advisors have successfully answered over 40,000 inquiries about Social Security since we started our advisory service in 2015, and we stand ready today to assist anyone with questions about their Social Security benefits or their Medicare enrollment. These services are available free of charge to AMAC members and to the general public because we are a non-profit organization.
In our extensive experience, several specific categories of questions top our list of those most frequently asked (our “FAQs”). They are:
- Inquiries soliciting information on when is the best time to claim benefits
- Questions about spousal benefits (when both spouses are living)
- Questions about survivor benefits (when someone has died)
- Queries about when (and if) to enroll in Medicare
- Inquiries about working while collecting Social Security
- How (or if) income tax must be paid on Social Security benefits
- Inquiries about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
In addition to the above categories, we also field questions on topics such as minor child benefits, disabled adult child benefits, cost of living adjustments, international considerations, as well as questions about various Congressional legislation affecting those who collect Social Security benefits. There are, of course, a myriad of other more obscure Social Security and Medicare topics we assist with every day, but the above represent the lion’s share of our daily workload. And, not coincidentally, these are also among the most complex questions to answer – unless you have the advantage of expert knowledge such as that possessed by our NSSA®-accredited and AMAC-certified Social Security experts.
Our AMAC Foundation Social Security experts answer thousands of questions yearly, and our team consists of advisors with many years of experience on this very complex program, including some who retired from the Social Security Administration after many years of service. Others on our Advisory staff have many years of knowledge gained by researching and personally handling thousands of Social Security questions. Our AMAC SS Advisor Certification program requires extensive knowledge and experience, as well as a rigorous examination of each person’s Social Security experience, including a customer satisfaction rating of at least 90% based on thousands of interactions with those seeking advice. All of our advisors must train and pass the accreditation program offered by the National Social Security Association (NSSA®), after which all new advisors must undergo an intensive AMAC training program while mentored by our highly experienced and certified senior advisory staff, ultimately achieving the coveted title of “AMAC-Certified Social Security Advisor.”
As the saying goes, “knowledge is power,” and, when it comes to Social Security, you can use the knowledge possessed by the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory staff to power your retirement or answer any questions you might have about this complex American program. And it is all available to you at no cost, by simply contacting the AMAC Foundation’s SS advisory service via email to SSadvisory@amacfoundation.org, or by calling 1.888.750.222 to speak directly to one of our expert advisors. Our phones are answered directly during normal business hours (Eastern Time), but you can leave a voicemail at any time. And we look forward to assisting you!
[1] The AMAC Foundation is a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The AMAC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the support and education of mature Americans.
What happens to the taxes the social security withheld from our check.