Social Security: Simple & Smart

by Tom Margenau

The Social Security program touches the lives of Americans young and old. Almost everyone has a Social Security number and a job that deducts Social Security taxes from his or her paycheck. And more than 60 million Americans, 1 out of every 6 people, collect a monthly Social Security check. Social Security spending makes up about one-fourth of the entire federal budget.

A program this big is bound to have complex laws and regulations. Tom Margenau has been helping people understand Social Security for almost 50 years, both as a Social Security Administration employee and as a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate.

For the first time, he has gathered all of his knowledge and advice into a series of easy-to-read fact sheets and placed them in this book. Simply find the fact sheet that covers the topic you are interested in and you will improve your understanding of how Social Security affects you and your family.

And if you still have questions after reading this book, Tom is ready to help. Just send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

Genres: Nonfiction

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2020

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawmakers have just 13 years before Social Security won’t be able to pay full benefits. Yet Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle have yet to agree on reforms that could include tax increases, benefit cuts or a combination of both to beat that deadline. There are just 13 years before Social Security may not be able to pay full benefits. I follow the weekly newspaper column of this author and he knows his stuff. Everyone thinking about retiring and starting Social Security should read this book so they will be informed about their benefits and what is the crisis that all of you who collect this benefit will happen to your benefits if nothing is done to rescue it. You will learn more and understand why things are the way they are. You may not like the way things are, but this book explains it.

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better to read this note and understand how social security works so I don’t mess anything up later. Very informative, easy to understand.

[Michael K. Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading

If you have questions about your potential Social Security benefits then you need to read this book. It is a wealth of information and helped me formulate my retirement plan.

It is well worth the price for the piece of mind alone. In my case it helped me figure a plan that would better maximize my benefits.

[Kerrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was informative & dispelled many myths surrounding Social Security. It confirmed my thoughts about maximizing Social Security benefits.

[Howard Frisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of book about Social Security. I chose this one by Tom Margenau because he worked for Social Security for many years and because he has a weekly column in a newspaper that I subscribe to. I figure if anyone has a deep understanding of the inner workings of Social Security it's Tom, as opposed to all the financial gurus out there. I was not disappointed. There is so much misinformation about Social Security, but Tom clears it up. Everyone should read this book at some point in their lives.

[Bokman Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information about SS benefit in plain language.

You can finish it in a day and get so much information about SSA. It will be a great investment for your retirement. Highly recommend.

[Jeffrey A Luengen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative

This was a very helpful book in answering questions I had as I near my retirement. I intend to keep it handy as a ready reference when future questions arise.

[Tyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair this is a 2021 version--the only one my library had?!

I did not bookmark any pages to share with my husband but I'm still glad I borrowed this short read.

[Ted Gurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foundational Information

Margenau’s no nonsense info armed me with the foundational knowledge I needed about Social Security to prepare for the next few years. Well organized!