Jun 8, 2019
In Matthew, Jesus gives His sermon on the mount and asks His followers not to worry, as their faith will replace their fear. Social Security strikes fear in many people, especially regarding how long it will be around. This week, Hans and Robby discuss how to apply faith, or in this case fact, to Social Security, in order to alleviate fears and maximize your benefit.
The Social Security 2018 Trustees Report was recently released. While this report is very long, Hans summarizes it, basically saying that the Social Security fund was increased by millions of dollars this year, they did not have to dip into reserves. A lot of this money comes from Social Security benefits that are paid out and then taxed. That money goes back into the fund. While there are strategies to put into place so that you do not have to pay taxes on your Social Security benefit, including Roth IRAs, there are still many people who do pay taxes on this money. This alone gives Hans faith that Social Security will be around for a while, no matter what people are saying.
Robby relates this to Ephesians 6, where Paul talks about the Shield of Faith. At the time Ephesians was written, shields were used to protect fellow soldiers in addition to the soldier himself. Shields were essential because they protected the team. The Shield of Faith should be applied to Social Security. If your faith waivers in Social Security, it could cause people around you to worry about Social Security too. Of course, Social Security does leave some areas of worry. Hans talks about not mixing legitimate Social Security worries with worries not based in truth.
Next up, Hans and Robby discuss Social Security timing. You can start Social Security as young as 62, however you may not want to start it until you either need it or reach full retirement age . Even if you’ve already started Social Security early, there are strategies you can use in order to stop the payments and wait until your full retirement age. You can get the largest Social Security check if you wait until age 70, the latest age to take Social Security.
Your spousal situation affects your Social security check as well, even if you are divorced or widowed. What happens when one spouse dies? Hans talks about how the survivor gets to keep the larger of the two checks, but one check still goes away. Life insurance can be a good way to make up for the difference.
Long-Term care is also affected by Social Security, as it is the first place your family will get the money to pay the bill. It is important to not solely rely on Social Security to pay this bill though, as it will usually cover only a small part.
Don’t forget to get your copy of “The Complete Cardinal Guide to Planning for and Living in Retirement” on Amazon or on CardinalGuide.com for free!
You can contact Hans and Cardinal by emailing hans@cardinalguide.com or calling 919-535-8261. Learn more at CardinalGuide.com.