Want a great Christmas gift idea? How about giving yourself and your friends the best book about Social Security that you will ever read. And surprise! I’m talking about my book, “Social Security Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-To-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” In just under 100 pages, I explain everything you'd probably ever need to know about our nation’s bedrock social insurance program. For example, if you are someone pushing retirement age who wants to know when and how to file for benefits, there is a chapter in the book for you. Or if you are a woman who is wondering what benefits you might be due on a husband’s, or ex-husband’s, or a deceased husband’s Social Security record, there is a chapter in the book for you. Or if you are someone with a physical or mental impairment wondering if you might be eligible for disability benefits, there is a chapter in the book for you. And there is so much more.
Most people get the book through Amazon. If you do, there is one caveat to my Christmas suggestion. Although I have updated the book for 2024 and it does appear on the Amazon website as such, the retail giant has been having some problems and they sometimes send the 2022 or 2023 editions. If that happens, you can return the book. But you just might want to keep it and put it under the Christmas tree. All I do each year is update a few numbers that change annually with cost-of-living adjustments. But 99 percent of the old editions (all the really important stuff) are the same as the 2024 edition.
I recently sat down in my La-Z-Boy and reread the book (the 2022 edition), comparing it to two other Social Security guidebooks I bought. And not to be too self-centered about this, but I was surprised by how much better and easier-to-read my book is.
“Social Security: Simple and Smart” is actually made up of a series of fact sheets I prepared over the years to explain various aspects of the Social Security program to the readers of my column. Here is a rundown of what’s in the book.
It begins with a section that debunks the top ten myths about Social Security. Interestingly, I start out that section saying, “I could write a book called ‘The Top 100 Social Security Myths.’” And guess what? I have. “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts” is also available from booksellers. But back to my “Simple and Smart” book.
Fact Sheet No. 1 is called “Social Security Basics.” It provides an introduction to the Social Security program.
Fact Sheet No. 2 is called “Myths and Facts about Social Security Financing.” There are just so darn many rumors and myths floating around on the Internet about how Social Security works and is financed. This fact sheet tackles all those silly and misleading myths and sets the record straight. It also includes a section that discusses serious and workable proposals for Social Security reform.
Fact Sheet No. 3 is the most popular. It is called “When to take your Social Security benefits.” It clarifies all the rules associated with retirement benefit eligibility and explains the mechanics of applying for benefits. There also is a section that talks about “maximizing” your Social Security benefits.
Fact Sheet No. 4 is called “Working after retirement and the earnings penalty.” This chapter explains the convoluted rules that apply to Social Security recipients who are under their full retirement age but still working part time.
Fact Sheet No. 5 is the second most popular part of the book. It is called “A woman’s guide to Social Security.” It explains benefits a woman might be due on a husband’s, or ex-husband’s Social Security record. And it explains benefits available to widows and divorced widows. (By the way, the same rules apply to husbands and widowers.)
Fact Sheet No. 6, called “Benefits for children,” explains benefits available for the children of retirees or for the children of people getting disability benefits. Survivor benefits for the children of a deceased parent are also discussed.
Fact Sheet No. 7 is called “Disability benefits from Social Security.” It clarifies everything you need to know about the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs. It also includes a section with tips for getting your disability claim approved.
Fact Sheet No. 8 is called “Pension offsets and Social Security.” If you get a pension from a job that was not covered by Social Security, you must read this section so you will understand the affect that pension will have on any Social Security benefits you might be due on your own record or a spouse’s record.
Fact Sheet No. 9, called “When Social Security says you owe them money,” was written for anyone who has received an overpayment letter from the Social Security Administration.
Fact Sheet No. 10 is called “Working after your Social Security checks start: will your additional income increase your Social Security check?” And this fact sheet answers that question.
And finally, there is a little bonus section at the end of the book called “What to do when someone getting a Social Security check dies.”
By the way, I’ve written another excellent Social Security book called “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” Read it and it will clear up all the myths, rumors, and outright lies you have heard or read about Social Security.
And as long as I’m shamelessly promoting my Social Security books, let me mention two other books I’ve written–even though they have nothing to do with Social Security. My readers may be surprised to learn that I’m not just a boring old former government employee who writes columns and books about Social Security. I’m also a grandpa who writes stories for his grandchildren. And I’ve turned two of those stories into published children’s books. One is a cute little story called “A House Made Out of Shells” about a little girl who lives on a beach and makes friends with a little hermit crab. The other is called “Molly’s Magic Laces” about a girl who likes to run and gets some magic shoelaces from her father that take her on adventures around the world. If you have a child, or grandchild, or niece or nephew, they will really love these little books.
