social security

Good financial planning involves taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to looking at your financial picture. It isn’t just investment management, but also tax planning, retirement income planning, estate planning, and protection of assets. It also means trying to maximize saving money through tax reduction strategies and expense management.

 Most people have a vision of retirement as their “Golden Years”, where they are free from the stress of work and can finally do all the bucket list items they have dreamed of. Of course, retirement can be golden, but it can also be a painful experience.

One of the more important and misunderstood benefits available through Social Security is the spousal retirement benefit. The original purpose of the spousal benefit was to provide a retirement income for stay at home spouses who had limited work history because they did not work or spent several years out of the workforce while raising a family.

One of the most important decisions a person nearing retirement needs to make is when to take Social Security. Most people are aware that you can start your benefits as early as age 62 and this often becomes a trigger point for deciding when to retire.

Your Social Security benefit will likely be one of your largest and most important sources of income during retirement. What we know about Social Security benefits are that they are:

·       Guaranteed by the federal government

As you approach your mid-fifties there are some important milestones to be aware of as it pertains to getting ready for retirement. Whether it is your IRA or 401(k), Social Security, or Medicare here are some important dates you should know:

Your 50’s

Social Security is very often the cornerstone of a retirement income plan. It is an important benefit that provides inflation adjusted income that the client can't outlive. But, with a married couple, once one spouse dies, that income is going to drop resulting in a "pay cut" for the surviving spouse.