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May the benefits be with you
By Judith
Bartels, Social Security district manager in Springfield
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[May 08, 2012]
May 4 is an unofficial holiday
designated by fans as Star Wars Day. Why May 4 and not the more
likely May 25 (the day the original Star Wars was released)? It all
comes down to a simple but catchy phrase: may the fourth
be with you.
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When celebrating Star Wars day, it can be easy to picture the
space warriors in their original state, the way they have been
captured on film. But consider this: May is also Older Americans'
Month. That may be more fitting than you realize, since the heroes
of Star Wars first burst into pop culture "a long time ago."
Most of the heroes and villains of Star Wars are now closing
in on retirement age. Yes, Han Solo is well into retirement; Luke
Skywalker and Princess Leia are almost old enough to get Social
Security benefits. (Sorry, Chewbacca, but you have to be human to
receive Social Security benefits.)
You don't have to have the wisdom of a Jedi or the knowledge
of a Droid to figure out retirement benefits. If you're planning
ahead for a distant retirement, visit the Retirement Estimator
to get an instant, personalized estimate of your future retirement
benefits. Blast off to
www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.
If you're ready to apply now for retirement benefits, just go
online. It's so easy, and you can do it faster than the Millennium
Falcon can outrun Imperial fighters -- in as little as 15 minutes at
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline.
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 This year's theme for Older Americans Month is "You're never
too old to play." When Star Wars first came out in 1977, social
networking would have seemed like space-aged ways to play, but you
now can connect with Social Security on Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube. What's more, you can even do it from your own smartphone
...
even if it's not a Droid.
Visit www.socialsecurity.gov and target the "Facebook" and
"Twitter" icons.
This May 4, may the "fourth" be with you. And remember: the
benefits will be with you ... always.
[By JUDITH BARTELS,
Social Security district manager
in Springfield]
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