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Think about retirement.
Whether you’re 26 and beginning a career or 62 and thinking about
the best time to stop working, give some thought to what your
retirement plan will be. Social Security is the largest source of
income for elderly Americans today, but it was never intended to be
your only source of income when you retire. You also will need
savings, investments, pensions or retirement accounts to make sure
you have enough money to live comfortably when you retire. The
earlier you begin your financial planning, the better off you will
be. For tips to help you save, visit
www.mymoney.gov.
Plan ahead. The best
way to begin planning for retirement is by using the free resources
provided by Social Security. Start by using our Retirement
Estimator, where you can get a personalized, instant estimate of
your future retirement benefits using different retirement ages and
scenarios. Visit the Retirement Estimator at
www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.
Make sure you have all
your numbers. While tax season may seem far away, now is the
time that many taxpayers start gathering records and documentation
for filing tax returns. One of the most important things you need is
a Social Security number for everyone whom you will claim as a
dependent. If you don’t have a number for one of your dependents,
you need to apply now to have the Social Security number in time to
file your tax return. Learn more at
www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.
Do a little light
reading. The best way to learn more about Social Security, the
benefit programs, and what they mean to you and your family is to
browse through our online library of publications. You can find
overviews as well as more detailed booklets. Our library at
www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs
is always open.
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 Help a loved one.
Sometimes we get the most satisfaction out of helping someone else.
If you have a grandparent, parent, relative, or friend who could
benefit from Social Security, share our website and online services
with them. You can even help a loved one apply for retirement or
Medicare benefits — or for Extra Help with Medicare
prescription drug costs -- in as little as 10 minutes. Whether you
forward a publication or sit down to help someone apply for Social
Security, the place to go is
www.socialsecurity.gov.
We hope you’ll consider
some of these resolutions. Happy New Year from Social Security!
By Judith Bartels
Social Security District
Manager in Springfield, IL
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