The baby boomers are aging. This is not news yet it seems to make the headlines of newspapers and television news at least once a week. Some of the information in these reports is educational, others seem to be scare tactics to get people to save more or invest more in their retirement. Some of the tactics seem to provide more questions than answers which is quite frustrating for many seniors that are looking forward to their retirement years.
For years the politicians running for office have provided social security information as part of their platforms. Most of the statistics are presented to win over votes. This social security information tends to scare some people into believing that they cannot retire or that they do not qualify for benefits. Each person that has been employed has an account with the social security administration. There are offices in most major cities in the United States. People can make an appointment to meet with a social security employee or they can request written information about their specific account. The social security information regarding what you have paid in and what you are entitled to is as accessible as finding out what is in your bank account. It is your money that has been taken out of your earnings. This is not a mysterious program that is only available to a few, as long as you have paid into the program you are entitled to a pension.
I have worked in the social services field for many years. There are times when I help people access their social security information. The process can be intimidating, as all government programs are, yet the individuals that work for the social security administration that I have encountered, are pleasant and informative. Once you have made inquires about your social security information you can request that an updated report of earnings be supplied to you on a regular basis. You can use this social security information to help plan your retirement. The payments are not going to be as substantial as other pension plans. The amounts of payments that are received are based on the number of years that each person worked as well as the salary they earned. Social security taxes are taken out of your earnings based on the amount you are getting paid. If you are in a lower paying job you will receive less of a pension that someone that earns more. Also people are not able to draw out their pensions as early as they could in the past, so the beginning dates of when the funds are available is part of the social security information that is sent to each individual. When you can begin getting payments is based on what year you were born.
