# Widows & Widowers & Others Could Be Getting Short Changed By The SSA



## fmdog44 (Apr 25, 2018)

This does not apply to me but I just read this so I am passing it on.
Source: Money Magazine, May 2018, page 36

"It doesn't help that government workers tasked with advising the public don't always tell the beneficiaries the moves that would yield them the highest benefit, watchdog and experts say. 'They are consistently inconsistent', say financial planner  Beth Franklin a contributing editor at _Investment News_. *More than three-quarters *of widows and widowers, for instance, were eligible to receive higher than they did but were never informed, according to a report by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General." 

The brief article says there are some things you can do through professionals like Garrett Planning Network. On line there is SocialSecurityAdvisors.com for a fee. Good luck.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 26, 2018)

I didn't read the article but it sounds sort of like fake news in that it refers the reader to professionals that will help them for a fee.

When my stepfather died the SS administration automatically upgraded my mother's SS benefits and when my sister applied for SS benefits they checked her exhusbands work record to see if she would benefit under his record instead of her own.

I'm skeptical but it is definitely a good idea for people to do some research and make sure that they are getting the proper SS benefit.


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## Ken N Tx (Apr 26, 2018)

Aunt Bea said:


> I didn't read the article but it sounds sort of like fake news in that it refers the reader to professionals that will help them for a fee.
> 
> When my stepfather died the SS administration automatically upgraded my mother's SS benefits and when my sister applied for SS benefits they checked her exhusbands work record to see if she would benefit under his record instead of her own.
> 
> I'm skeptical but it is definitely a good idea for people to do some research and make sure that they are getting the proper SS benefit.


Ditto...I have had a good experience with SSA..


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## mathjak107 (Apr 26, 2018)

the only point i will make is that while ss checks for the higher work record they usually do not consider the fact you may do better taking survivor  earlier while leaving your own benefit to grow and then switching  to your own  later since your own benefit is not the higher one YET! .

i know so many on forums who were never told about this option by ss  workers since it is not easily apparent . .


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## fmdog44 (Apr 26, 2018)

Aunt Bea said:


> I didn't read the article but it sounds sort of like fake news in that it refers the reader to professionals that will help them for a fee.
> 
> When my stepfather died the SS administration automatically upgraded my mother's SS benefits and when my sister applied for SS benefits they checked her exhusbands work record to see if she would benefit under his record instead of her own.
> 
> I'm skeptical but it is definitely a good idea for people to do some research and make sure that they are getting the proper SS benefit.



"Fake news"? Not hardly. The article addresses (suggests) things one can do if one thinks there may be a mistake. If you are skeptical then why do you say it's a good idea to check it out and where would you go to do your research? Perhaps where the article suggest??!!


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## fmdog44 (Apr 26, 2018)

I challenged my property taxes years back only to get reimbursed for five years of over payments. Compare the network of state taxes to the SSA.


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 26, 2018)

fmdog44 said:


> "Fake news"? Not hardly. The article addresses (suggests) things one can do if one thinks there may be a mistake. If you are skeptical then why do you say it's a good idea to check it out and where would you go to do your research? Perhaps where the article suggest??!!



I didn't mean to upset you, I was just offering an opinion and my own observations of my relative's experience with the SSA.

I would start at SSA.gov and do my own research, also talk with others in a similar situation but I would not pay a professional to do the research for me.


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## jujube (Apr 26, 2018)

mathjak107 said:


> the only point i will make is that while ss checks for the higher work record they usually do not consider the fact you may do better taking survivor  earlier while leaving your own benefit to grow and then switching  to your own  later since your own benefit is not the higher one YET! .
> 
> i know so many on forums who were never told about this option by ss  workers since it is not easily apparent . .



That's what I did.  I have to say the lady at the SSA office explained every scenario to me quite thoroughly.


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## fmdog44 (Apr 26, 2018)

Aunt Bea said:


> I didn't mean to upset you, I was just offering an opinion and my own observations of my relative's experience with the SSA.
> 
> I would start at SSA.gov and do my own research, also talk with others in a similar situation but I would not pay a professional to do the research for me.



That (SSA) was one of the suggestions but at what some charge for help is as low as $25 so it is not as if you are hiring a lawyer. For the number of years one may be getting cheated I would not worry about what it would cost. There was a mistake on my account to the tune of one year of high income omitted and it was settled through the SSA relatively easily.  I noticed the mistake in my life long annual wage statement. I worked two years contract not paying tax until the end of the year but they had me doing it for three years.


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## Butterfly (Apr 26, 2018)

Aunt Bea said:


> I didn't mean to upset you, I was just offering an opinion and my own observations of my relative's experience with the SSA.
> 
> I would start at SSA.gov and do my own research, also talk with others in a similar situation but I would not pay a professional to do the research for me.



I would also start at ssa.gov, information you get from that site is far more reliable than info you get from a site that hopes to make money off of you.  Besides that, there's a lot of misinformation/misunderstanding about exactly what SSA will or will not do, and the only way to get reliable information is directly from the source, or from an attorney who practices Social Security law.

I've always had excellent results in consulting the SSA at their 800 number, as well.


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## mathjak107 (Apr 27, 2018)

there are excellent sites like social security solutions who can do all sorts of different work ups for a modest fee . the fees go higher based on how much work you want .

many times you want to see the effects of delaying on your taxes or rmd's  as well as cash flow .

ss can't help you with that and you certainly would not use an attorney


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