“Social security is a nightmare!”
Unfortunately, I hear that all too often from students and peers of mine. Social Security is easily one of the most complex and frustrating government programs going, but I’m here to simplify it for you.
First things first, we’re going to make sure you don’t fall victim to Social Security’s long list of “gotchas” that can keep you from getting what’s owed to you. Here are the 3 dark secrets that they don’t want you to know, and how to avoid getting ripped off…
Dark Secret #1: Pitfalls
For every 1 of the 12 benefits offered by Social Security, there are 10 “traps” that many Americans fall into. And these traps can have a lasting impact on your retirement.
For example, not getting your timing absolutely perfect can result in losing out completely on a benefit you should be receiving.
Dark Secret #2: Untrained employees
Listen closely: you CANNOT count on Social Security employees to get you the maximum amount you should receive. SS agents are NOT trained to the level they should be, and thus you have to take your Social Security fate into your own hands.
Don’t worry, I’ll be walking you through it all in these columns.
Dark Secret #3: Misinformation
Stemming from Dark Secret #2, much of the answers you receive from Social Security can be 100% wrong. So rather than getting information you need, a single call to a Social Security representative could actually cost you retirement income based on getting a false answer.
The point of today’s article is that the above dark secrets of Social Security have led to horror story after horror story – chances are good that someone you know has been screwed over by it…whether they know it or not.
And the stories may shock you.
For example, many widows have complained about Social Security signing them up for retirement benefits at age 62 WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE, which caused them to miss out on hundreds of thousands of dollars by not being able to collect the maximum benefit by not collecting until age 70!
So here’s how YOU will avoid being ripped off by Social Security: record your conversations with Social Security representatives!
Horror story victims, like the above widows, have missed out on justice because there was simply no record of any conversations of SS reps giving false information and/or bad advice.
But if you record any interaction you have with Social Security representatives, and make your intentions clear, you can insulate yourself from the incompetence of the Social Security system.
