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Don’t Take Financial Advice From a Guy in a Kayak

Answers to social security questions does not equate to financial advice.
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Don’t Take Financial Advice From a Guy in a Kayak
Someone in a small boat may or may not have the best knowledge for financial management. nadtochiy/Shutterstock
Tom Margenau
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I’ve discussed this issue before in this column. I am a Social Security expert. I know all about the rules and regulations that can affect your Social Security benefits. But I am NOT a financial planner. I rarely tell people when to apply for their Social Security benefits. I give them all the facts and then let them decide, sometimes in consultation with a real financial planner, exactly when they should start their Social Security checks.

But even though I’ve stressed a thousand times that I am not a financial planner, people are always emailing me asking me when they should take their Social Security benefits. So how do I prove to folks that I’m not a financial guy?

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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