Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Determining when to collect social security income

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Determining when to collect social security income is a very important decision and there are many factors that should be taken into consideration to maximize social security benefits such as longevity, income needs and survivors needs to name a few.  

However, by taking the time to understand your social security benefits now, you can make an educated decision when the time comes.

Every year, the Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds release a report to Congress on the current financial condition and projected financial outlook of the program. 

This year's report, released on July 28, contains valuable information about the health of Social Security that may help you understand how your Social Security benefits might be affected.

The Social Security program consists of two parts. Retired workers, their families, and survivors of workers receive monthly benefits under the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) program; disabled workers and their families receive monthly benefits under the Disability Insurance (DI) program. 

The combined programs are referred to as OASDI. Each program has a financial account (a trust fund) that holds the Social Security payroll taxes that are collected to pay Social Security benefits. Other income (reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury and income tax revenue from benefit taxation) is also deposited in these accounts. 

Money that is not needed in the current year to pay benefits and administrative costs is invested (by law) in special Treasury bonds that are guaranteed by the U.S. government and earn interest. 

As a result, the Social Security Trust Funds have built up reserves that can be used to cover benefit obligations if payroll tax income is insufficient to pay full benefits.




from SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS EXPLAINED - Blog http://ift.tt/1HO4twA

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