http://creators.com/ Creators Syndicate is an international syndication company that represents cartoonists and columnists of the highest caliber. en Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:58:40 -0800 dbfd96a1114fd599992747295f1e4ec9 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/a-new-job-could-raise-your-benefit.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I am 67 years old. I signed up for Social Security a couple years ago. But I&rsquo;m getting a little bored and I&rsquo;m thinking of going back to work. If I do that, friends said that I will I lose my Social Security. Is this true?</p> <p>A: You will NOT lose your Social Security. In fact, if anything, your monthly benefit will eventually increase.</p> <p>Two Social Security regulations co ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Jul 02, 2008<br/><br/> a868cb61685abf2289a09647c665e9dd http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/veterans-appear-to-have-missed-the-message.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: You said veterans get an extra $300 per month from Social Security. I don't get that. Are you sure about this?</p> <p>Q: Your recent column mentioned a military bonus. I don't think I'm getting it. Will you please look into my Social Security files to check this out?</p> <p>Q: Can you please send me the form to apply for that military benefit you mentioned in your column?</p> <p>Q: I'm 90 ye ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Jul 09, 2008<br/><br/> 72847310580afa938e0ad727f1e00d67 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/divorce-decree-has-no-bearing-on-widow-s-benefits.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I am 61 years old and in the process of getting a divorce from a man I was married to for 35 years. To put it mildly, the divorce is rather ugly. My husband says he is going to prevent me from getting his Social Security. His lawyer is trying to put a clause in our divorce decree that says I won't have access to any benefits on his Social Security account. Further, my husband says if I fight ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Jul 23, 2008<br/><br/> a0852ce0b0eec1cc423ff0ee9c1fb74c http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/dad-s-passing-might-benefit-divorced-widow.html Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q; My father recently passed away. He and my mother were divorced in the 1970s. Can she get any Social Security benefits on my father's record?</p> <p>A: Your mother would be eligible for divorced widow's benefits from Social Security IF:</p> <p>1. She and your dad were married for at least 10 years;</p> <p>2. She did not remarry, or she remarried, but that subsequent marriage ended;</p> <p>3. ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Jul 30, 2008<br/><br/> fe0885d94e966b2fda0c0f3c2fced1a0 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/not-everyone-agrees-that-offsets-are-fair.html Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: Will you please tell me the status of the bill to repeal the Social Security offset? When is Congress ever going to put the ax to the stupid and unfair offset law that hurts all of us retired government employees?</p> <p>A: Well it's time for me to clear some space in my inbox because I'm going to get flooded with e-mails and letters telling me what a fool I am.</p> <p>This happens every ti ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Aug 06, 2008<br/><br/> e8acec3968c0cb6e62744e40e91bea5d http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/mom-writes-from-the-grave.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: Social Security is so darn unfair. I am a widow who worked all of my life at a low-paying job. My own Social Security is so low that I was forced to take widow's benefits on my husband's record instead. I get about $1,200 per month. But I just met this woman at church who was bragging in such an uppity way that she gets $2,000 per month in Social Security widow's benefits. And she said she n ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Aug 13, 2008<br/><br/> f0fe17ddfcf2b8807df555d125129868 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/two-women-can-count-on-the-same-man.html Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: In your recent column about benefits to a divorced wife, you failed to mention what happens to the current wife. My husband was previously married for more than 10 years to another woman, but they have been divorced for many years. She never remarried and has no plans to do so. I have been married to my husband for almost 20 years. Will the Social Security benefits paid to my husband's ex-wi ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Aug 20, 2008<br/><br/> 2b8f4447a7696b6d1b917c169f9be2ea http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/trying-to-put-some-myths-to-rest.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I know you have written columns in the past about the future of Social Security. As far as I can tell, there are two problems with the system as it is currently structured. The biggest problem is that people get a lot more money out of Social Security than they paid into it. The other big problem is all those people getting Social Security who never put a nickel into the funds. May I have yo ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Aug 27, 2008<br/><br/> 4e1ce288d129cca3bd4d3d984283199c http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/illegal-immigrants-seldom-receive-social-security.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I just heard from a reliable source on the radio that illegal immigrants are ripping off American taxpayers by collecting Social Security benefits. No wonder this country and the Social Security system are in such trouble. Do you have any information about how much money the U.S. pays these illegal workers?</p> <p>A: How about &#147;zero.&#148;</p> <p>I could change the title of this column to &#147;Debunk ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Sep 03, 2008<br/><br/> 86aa5eaeea7c3d60f827c600ef8c4176 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/death-benefit-hardly-worth-the-worry.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: My widowed mother recently died. My sisters and I applied for the Social Security death benefit, but our claim was denied. We were simply told we were not eligible for it. But several years ago, my friend's father died and she got the death benefit. Can you explain why she got it but we didn't?</p> <p>A: The Social Security death benefit is a pittance of $255 that the government throws at t ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Sep 10, 2008<br/><br/> 7c4b014a418361dc55de20683b4b7300 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/competency-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder.html Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: The Social Security people are very incompetent. And they have no clue what good service is. Every time I try to contact them, I wait on hold for an eternity and then I finally learn that my worker is on vacation or is unavailable. When I do reach them, they are never any help! I have had a Social Security claim pending for six months. Can you do anything to help me?</p> <p>A: I get quite a ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Sep 17, 2008<br/><br/> cf6c5092f496b11a2cc4a1953fb7e80a http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/widow-due-benefits-after-divorcing-hubby-no-2.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I have a widowed friend who remarried when she was 58 years old. But that marriage lasted only 4 months and they were divorced. She's been told that because she remarried before age 60, she won't be able to collect widow's benefits on her first husband's Social Security record. This doesn't seem fair since they were married for about 30 years. Is this true?</p> <p>A: No, it's not true. Your ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Sep 24, 2008<br/><br/> 69c7196d43c14970d27e328db846aa15 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/cast-your-vote-to-reform-the-system.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I have always admired your candor with respect to the politics of Social Security. Now that we're in the middle of a presidential race, Social Security is bound to come up as in issue. And frankly, I get confused every time I hear the subject being discussed. Can I have your thoughts on this please?</p> <p>A: Your confusion is warranted because, frankly, both major political parties deserve ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Oct 01, 2008<br/><br/> c6066040fe7de12e45e61d1cd9f13787 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/working-the-percentages-to-fix-the-system.html Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>In last week's column, I explained that Social Security must eventually be reformed to deal with the demographic time bomb represented by aging baby boomers. The system works perfectly at a ratio of three taxpayers to each Social Security beneficiary. But once all of the boomers move from the intake side of the Social Security pipeline to the outflow side, we will be at a 2-to-1 ratio, just two ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Oct 08, 2008<br/><br/> 602eb81c635569ead22ee833fddf2c14 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/ssi-eligibility-rules-vary-by-location.html Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: I have a 15-year-old son with severe attention deficit disorder. He is on Medicaid but gets no other assistance. I have a friend with a disabled daughter who also is getting Medicaid from the state, but her daughter also receives monthly SSI disability benefits from Social Security. Can my son get SSI from Social Security? If he can, would that impact any Social Security benefits he might be ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Oct 15, 2008<br/><br/> 6a35904110b0fb18de309e5873c21737 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/add-on-plan-more-is-better.html Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: In a recent column, you offered some suggestions for fixing Social Security to keep the system solvent in years to come when all the baby boomers retire. But I noticed you didn't mention any options for an ownership society. I think taxpayers should be free to choose how they want to invest their Social Security money. Aren't you showing your liberal bias by ignoring this important method to ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Oct 22, 2008<br/><br/> 9461503fcf0de4b4f0a7a160eb96ca18 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/government-pension-offset-issue-touches-a-nerve.html Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: You are so wrong about the Government Pension Offset issue! In a recent column, you said it is fair. Well, it might seem fair to a former highly paid government executive such as you? But to a low-paid government retiree like me, it is totally unfair. How would you like it if your mother or sister was poor and was denied benefits on her husband's Social Security record because of some stupid ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Oct 29, 2008<br/><br/> 03042fd279935f8c73adcadfe0385a4f http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/delay-could-pay-in-a-small-way.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 <p>Q: I have recently lost a good deal of my 401(k) money that was going to be my retirement nest egg. So now I've got to work longer than I originally planned. I'm thinking I won't be able to retire until I'm 70. Will I get extra Social Security benefits because I'm delaying my retirement? If so, how much extra will I get?</p> <p>A: If you decide to put off starting your Social Security benefits ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Nov 05, 2008<br/><br/> 5f5fc78bc9046b3227f2355b1756c1dc http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/no-right-way-to-play-the-sweepstakes.html Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 <p>I recently spent an evening with some new friends, and the topic of &#147;what do you do for a living&#148; naturally came up. When I mentioned that I write a Social Security question and answer column, they wanted to know what the most frequently asked question I get is. When I told them, they both said they were going to ask me the same thing! Here it is.</p> <p>Q: Should I take my Social Security when ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Nov 12, 2008<br/><br/> 7446a9154b85e977a1b20c77fee9a859 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/your-social-security/obama-could-finally-provide-impetus-for-change.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 <p>Q: I thought your recent column that included proposals to fix Social Security's long-range financing problems was very insightful. People need to support political leaders who have the courage to tackle this issue. What do you think the election of Barack Obama will do for the future of Social Security?</p> <p>A: Given the state of the economy and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I th ...<br> <br/>Updated: Wed Nov 19, 2008<br/><br/>