Get What’s Yours

1. Why We Bothered
2. Life’s Biggest Danger Isn’t Dying, It’s Living
3. Social Security—from A to Zzzzzzzz
4. The New Social Security Law
5. Three General Rules to Maximize Your Lifetime Benefits
6. Be Careful Taking Social Security’s Advice
7. The Benefits of Not Retiring
8. Playing Social Security’s Marital Status Game
9. Married or Divorced with Benefits
10. Widowed? Why Social Security Is a Major Women’s Issue
11. Never Married or Divorced Too Soon
12. Hidden Benefits for the Disabled
13. Social Security and Medicare
14. Government Pensions and Windfall Penalties
15. 60 Good-News Secrets to Higher Lifetime Benefits
16. 40 Bad-News Gotchas That Can Reduce Your Benefits Forever
17. Whither Social Security?

You can add (Social Security and) health care to the list of essential components of an advanced society that are increasingly too complicated to be understood by the public they are supposed to serve. Such is the nature of national government. It is a major failing of the United States. It is a source of rising public anger and disaffection toward government that weakens our democracy and provides oxygen to the fires that are stoked by antigovernment extremists. It debases political discourse and puts needed political compromises out of reach. This situation is not about the welfare state, nor is it an indictment of the aims of these programs. It is an inescapable truth of complexities—of the systems we’ve built to govern ourselves, of the technology that has evolved to do so, and of the underlying challenges our social, economic, and political problems present.

— Get What’s Yours for Social Security

“Getting smart about Social Security can put tens of thousands of extra dollars in your pocket. With that in mind, start by reading, Get What’s Yours. . . . The book translates—into often-entertaining English—the many convoluted rules that make up the Social Security program. . . . [Does] a great job of helping you make sense of, and get the most from, Social Security. . . . Invaluable.”
— The Wall Street Journal

“I love this book! Seriously! Who could ever guess that reading about Social Security could be this entertaining? And if you think you know enough about the subject, you would be wise to think again. Smartly written by an all-star, financial expert dream team, the engaging, down-to-earth prose makes Get What’s Yours the definitive guide to maximizing what is, for many, the most important retirement asset by far. From determining the best age to claim (hint: it’s not what you’ve been told) to figuring out the intricacies of spousal benefits to avoiding the ‘gotchas’ that can reduce your checks, this must-read guide is truly that. And don’t be surprised if you actually enjoy it!”
— Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life

“An indispensable and surprisingly entertaining guide for anyone who is retiring or thinking of retiring with all of the Social Security benefits they’ve earned.”
— Jane Pauley

“This practical guide to navigating the Social Security system cuts through the fat (there are more than 2,500 rules associated with the benefit) and covers everything from how to file for social security to the strategies for claiming the highest possible income. . . . Useful for anyone approaching retirement.” — The New York Times

“Choosing when to take Social Security is one of the biggest decisions of your life. By doing it right, you can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to your lifetime income and leave more money for your spouse as well. This great book tells you how . . . and it’s funny, too!”
— Jane Bryant Quinn, author of How To Make Your Money Last: The Indispensable Retirement Guide.

Your Money: The Social Security Maze and Other U.S. Mysteries
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