Why do we pay social security taxes? When and why was social security invented? Who pays social security? Who doesn't? And what's all this about privatizing the social security system and investing it in the stock market? In The Complete Idiot's GuideA (R) to Social Security, author Lita Epstein explains the intricacies and benefits of this government program that was founded in l935 by President Roosevelt to help out poverty-stricken senior citizens. The author will cover how social security can fund your retirement (at least partially); the requirements one must meet to be eligible for social security; and protecting your benefits. The author will also cover, in depth, the effect privatization of the social security system will mean for millions of baby boomers. Such related topics as Medicare and Medigap will also be covered.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Zielgruppe
Für Grundschule und weiterführende Schule
Maße
Höhe: 232 mm
Breite: 187 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-02-864317-5 (9780028643175)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Lita Epstein is managing editor of Business to Business Magazine in Atlanta. She co-authored Teach Yourself Retirement Planning in 24 Hours, which was published in September 2001. In the financial-planning area, Lita develops online courses on topics such as investing for retirement and finance and investing for women. She was the content director for a financial services website, MostChoice.com, and managed the investing-for-women site at About.com. She also wrote TipWorld's Mutual Fund Tip of the Day in addition to columns about mutual fund trends for numerous websites. As a congressional press secretary, Lita gained firsthand knowledge about how to work within and around the federal bureaucracy, giving her great insight into how government programs work. In the past, Lita has been a daily newspaper reporter, a magazine editor, and a fundraiser for The Carter Presidential Center. She earned her MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, Georgia, and her BA from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For fun, Lita enjoys scuba diving and is even certified as an underwater photographer. She hikes, canoes, and enjoys surfing the Web to find all its hidden treasures.
I. HATCHING THE NEST EGG. 1. Letting the Chicks Out. Roosevelt to the Rescue. Designing the Safety Hatch. Passing the Rules: 1935 Social Security Act. Spreading the Word. 2. Social Security Grows Up. Implementing the Plan: The Social Security Board. Finding the Folks: U.S. Postal Service to the Rescue. Crafting Accounts. Paying the Bucks. The 1939 Amendments. The 1950 Windfall. Money Crunch. 3. Today's Security. What's the Bill? Paying the Bill. Who Doesn't Pay. Feeding the Trusts. Weathering the Baby Boom Storm II. GETTING YOUR SHARE. 4. It's All About Me. Something to Live On. Money for Your Spouse. Support for Your Kids. Protecting Yourself If You Can't Work. 5. Following the Rules. Your Out-of-Pocket Costs. Your Time Commitment. Admitting Your Age-When Older Is Better. Starting the Paper Trail. 6. Counting Your Cash. Cracking the Payout Rules. Planning Your Strategies. Collecting Your Stash. Why You Might Get Less. 7. Timing Your Exit. Your Date to Escape. Early Arrival. Late to the Party. What Timing Is Best for You? III. CRACKING OPEN YOUR NEST EGG. 8. Picking Up the Pieces. Dealing with a Loss. Protecting Your Cash. Making the Right Moves. Scams and Fraud: What You Should Do. 9. Partings Not So Sweet. Social Security and Divorce. Timing Is Everything. Spousal Benefits. Survivors' Benefits. The Remarriage Trap-Why So Many Seniors Just Live Together. Changing Numbers. Changing Names. 10. Hard Choices After the Death of a Spouse. Timing Your Actions. Your Benefit Options. Government Pension Offset. Making Changes. Women's Differences. 11. Children's Share. Dough for Kids. Getting Kids' Money. Benefits for a Disabled Child over Age 18. Supplemental Income for Disabled Kids. 12. Dependent Parents' Slice. Learning the Rules. Caregiving Resources. Taking Leave from Work. Finances and Your Dependent Parents. 13. Collecting Disability. Passing the Test. Collecting Your Money. What If You Are Rejected? Avoiding Benefit Loss. Staying in Touch. Going Back to Work. 14. Supplementing Income. SSI: Assisting the Poor and Disabled. Rules for Supplementing Income. Applying for Help. Collecting Benefits. Appealing the Decision. Reporting Changes. Reviewing Your Case. Going Back to Work. Other Help You Can Get. IV. LIVING RIGHT. 15. Making Ends Meet. Staying Above Water. Getting COLAs. Stretching Your Bucks. Seeking Community Support. Sharing Your Living Space. 16. Working Again. I Don't Want to Quit. Scouting the Rules. Special Rules for the Year You Retire. Reporting Earnings. Benefits of Going Back to Work. 17. Using Your Assets. Identifying Assets. Integrating Assets. Using Your Investments. Tapping Your Home Equity. 18. Minimizing the Tax Bite. Tax Rules in Retirement. Overearning. What Is Taxed? What Isn't Taxed. V. STAYING HEALTHY. 19. Getting Medicare Coverage. Medicare-Starting Coverage. Buying Into Medicare. Should You Apply if You Are Still Working? What's in Part A. What's in Part B. New Twists to an Old Program. Risks of the Twists. Medicare Rights. Detecting and Preventing Fraud and Abuse. The Future of Medicare. 20. What's Missing from Medicare. Prescription Drug Costs. Medication Problems. Long-Term-Care Drain. Home Care Services. Affordable Health Care for Poor. 21. Closing the Gap. Closing the Gap with Medigap. Slowing the Drug Money Leaks. Long-Term-Care Options. Continuous-Care Communities-Are They for You? VI. WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE NEST EGG. 22. Running Out of Money. The Multitrillion Dollar Question. What Are the Trusts? Draining the Trust Funds. After the Trusts. 23. Modernizing Medicare. Prescription Drug Coverage. Shifting Cost Sharing. Privatizing Medicare. Getting a Handle on Costs. 24. Rescuing Social Security. Setting the Stage. Key Players. Private Parts. International Players. Next Steps. 25. Following the Changes. Monitoring Government Agencies. Tracking Private Advocacy Groups. Key Research Studies and Websites You Shouldn't Miss. Your Role in Social Security and Medicare's Future. VII. APPENDIXES. Appendix A. Glossary. Appendix B. Resources. Appendix C. Special Rules for State and Local Government Workers. Index.
