Ways to Protect Your Social Security Number Don't put your Social Security card in your wallet or carry documents with your Social Security number. If you receive financial statements or other documents containing your Social Security number, lock them away in a safe place or, if yo...
Before heading to the Social Security office or applying online, you need to collect official documents to verify your identity and eligibility for a replacement card. Here are a few examples of documents that can verify your identity when you need to get a new Social Security card: Proof of ...
How to Start Investing and Saving Investing for the long haul with little cash on hand is doable, but you’ll need a carefully crafted plan. Brian O'ConnellJan. 24, 2025 Increase Your Social Security Payments Follow these steps to receive the maximum possible Social Security benefi...
Depending on your birthday, the first section of numbers means this in your Social Security Number. Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash The first three-digit part of your Social Security Number (if you were born in 1972 or earlier) is actually a geographic identifier. Most people who had thei...
Carefully planning long-term absences from work; Taking benefits at the minimum age, if your earnings are lower than your spouse's; Benefits for divorcees based on the earnings of ex-spouses; Benefits for depen...
Your Social Security Number (SSN) is the most sensitive piece of information tying to your name. It’s a number that you do not want anyone else to know. With minimal information about you, plus your SSN, anyone could commit fraud under your name. So, you must learn how to protect you...
should the Social Security Administration misreport your income if you changed jobs or worked several gigs as an independent contractor, it's on you to correct the record. To get it changed, you'll have to file a formal request with the agency in which you provide documents proving your ...
Social Security checks may get lost in transit. This can happen in the U.S. mail or with direct deposit that the Social Security Administration prefers. As far back as 1992, more than half of Social Security recipients used direct deposit. If your check does not arrive in a timely manner...
There are four ways to figure out your Social Security benefits: Visit a Social Security office to get an estimate, create an account at the official Social Security website and use its calculators, let the SSA calculate your benefits for you, or calculate your benefits yourself. Doing the ca...
You are eligible for spousal benefits if your spouse has filed for Social Security benefits and you are at least age 62, or caring for a child who's entitled to receive benefits on your spouse’s record and is younger than age 16 or is disabled.3 ...