"The rules relating to social security are long, complex, and dry. This book distills the most relevant parts into a guide that is easy to follow." Brandon Renfro, Ph.D. NOW UPDATED FOR 2021!! Devin Carroll brings you a condensed, straightforward guide that gives you the nine essentials that everyone should know to navigate the maze of Social Security with confidence (without getting lost in the tangled web of Social Security rules). If you want to make sure you don't leave your Social Security benefits to chance, reading this book is a great first step in achieving that goal. The Cure for Complexity When Carroll first started studying Social Security, the massive website and rule book left him feeling like he was trying to drink from a fire hose. It was just too much information to make sense of all at once, and left him feeling overwhelmed. Sound familiar? Carroll's later experiences with clients who were distressed, confused, and burned by the Social Security system convinced him that something must be done to help people take the overly complex, verbose, and altogether unruly Social Security rules and distill them down into something simple, actionable, and understandable. After spending the last several years studying, speaking, and writing on Social Security, Carroll discovered that most questions on the topic could be answered through a solid understanding of the basics. That's what Carroll promises to teach you in this book: the essential knowledge you need to. In each chapter, Carroll details the specifics behind the rules, calculations, exceptions, and necessary information so you can correctly identify your own benefit, understand when you're entitled to more, make the best decision on when to file, and more. What others are saying... "Devin Carroll is the perfect person to untangle Social Security's mumbo-jumbo. He makes the rules simple to understand, taking concepts most people mess up and laying them out in an easy to understand format. Bravo!" Joe Saul-Sehy, Stacking Benjamins Podcast Creator and Host "Devin's book, Social Security Basics, is an indispensable resource in helping you make smart, informed decisions about your Social Security benefits so you'll have a more confident and comfortable retirement ahead of you." Russ Thornton, WealthcareForWomen.com "Making decisions about Social Security benefits can be intimidating but it doesn't have to be. This is a fantastic book to explain what you really need to know." David Waldrop, CFP - The Astute Advisor Blog and Bridgeview Capital Advisors

Find all of the following, explained in plain-English: How your Social Security retirement benefits, spousal benefits, and widow/widower benefits are calculated How your benefits are affected if you have a government pension or if you continue working while claiming Social Security How to decide when is the best age for you (and your spouse, if you're married) to claim Social Security in order to get the most out of your benefits Whether or not it makes sense to take Social Security early in order to invest the money How to check your earnings record on the Social Security Administration's website to make sure you're getting the full benefit you deserve How Social Security benefits are taxed and how this affects retirement tax planning Please note that this book does not cover Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Here at last are the hard-to-find answers to the dizzying array of financial questions plaguing those who are age fifty and older. The financial world is more complex than ever, and people are struggling to make sense of it all. If you’re like most people moving into the phase of life where protecting—as well as growing-- assets is paramount, you’re faced with a number of financial puzzles. Maybe you’re struggling to get your kids through college without drawing down your life’s savings. Perhaps you sense your nest egg is at risk and want to move into safer investments. Maybe you’re contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, but aren’t sure of the financial implications. Possibly, medical expenses have become a bigger drain than you expected and you need help assessing options. Perhaps you’ll shortly be eligible for social security but want to optimize when and how to take it. Whatever your specific financial issue, one thing is certain—your range of choices is vast. As the financial world becomes increasingly complex, what you need is deeply researched advice from professionals whose credentials are impeccable and who prize clarity and straightforwardness over financial mumbo-jumbo. Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and the Schwab team have been helping clients tackle their toughest money issues for decades. Through Carrie’s popular “Ask Carrie” columns, her leadership of the Charles Schwab Foundation, and her work across party lines through two White House administrations and with the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, she has become one of America’s most trusted sources for financial advice. Here, Carrie will not only answer all the questions that keep you up at night, she’ll provide answers to many questions you haven’t considered but should.

Get it while you can ... Complex, ever-changing, and controversial, the future of our current system of Social Security and Medicare is uncertain. This indispensable guide explains the proposed changes and current status of these important social programs. Completely revised to incorporate changes to compensation scales and survivor benefits, and with an expanded section on Medicare and the new drug programs, this book is the most up-to-date overview of Social Security and Medicare currently available. * Revised and updated with the latest 2006 statistics on income scales and cost of living; such Social Security Benefits as survivor benefits and disability payments; tax codes; and more * Completely new chapters on Medicare, the Medicare Drug Programs, and the current political climate and proposed changes * Completely revised section on resources

Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

As part of the Syngress Basics series, The Basics of Information Security provides you with fundamental knowledge of information security in both theoretical and practical aspects. Author Jason Andress gives you the basic knowledge needed to understand the key concepts of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and then dives into practical applications of these ideas in the areas of operational, physical, network, application, and operating system security. The Basics of Information Security gives you clear-non-technical explanations of how infosec works and how to apply these principles whether you're in the IT field or want to understand how it affects your career and business. The new Second Edition has been updated for the latest trends and threats, including new material on many infosec subjects. - Learn about information security without wading through a huge textbook - Covers both theoretical and practical aspects of information security - Provides a broad view of the information security field in a concise manner - All-new Second Edition updated for the latest information security trends and threats, including material on incident response, social engineering, security awareness, risk management, and legal/regulatory issues