Were Last Year’s Changes in Social Security Just the Beginning

If you were not age 62 before December 31, 2015, you can no longer file a restrictive application. If you’re age 66 after to April 30, 2016, you can no longer file and suspend. If you still think you may be eligible, talk to a financial advisor who understands Social Security. By removing this key provision in Social Security benefits, Congress believes it’s stopping affluent Americans from collecting the extra income from the file-and-suspend provision. It’s not gaming the system to maximum the benefits you paid for. For the wealthy, the lost income is but a bump on the road to retirement, but for millions of poor and middle-class baby boomers, it’s the end of the road as planned. The annual savings to the Social Security system will be minimal in the short term, but could actually force poor and middle-income baby boomers to access their benefits sooner than later. If this occurs, the savings from this legislation will evaporate overnight as millions of baby boomers could elect to file for benefits earlier than planned. It could trigger a kind of run on the bank motivated by politicians who are on record stating those near or in retirement would not be affected by “any changes” in Social Security.

Is this the first step in dismantling the Social Security system? If Congress is willing to do this to baby boomers, who are members the first full generation to contribute to Social Security, what lies ahead for succeeding generations? With the elections less than a year away, will those who voted for it pay dearly at the polls, or are they counting on seniors to forget? When it comes to retirement money, there is no dementia. Watch the Social Security interview with Tom Hegna, popular platform speaker, best-selling author and recent host of the PBS Special Don’t Worry, Retire Happy. http://rightonthemoneyshow.com/were-last-years-changes-in-social-security-just-the-beginning-tom-hegna/