Joann, I don't argue with the fact that some of the money should be spent to help with family expenses but I would think it should be on a proportionate basis. There is the mother, her boyfriend and the 2 kids so they should pay perhaps 1/2 of the living expenses, at best. But when the rent is $650, electric is $100, cable is probably $45, they have DSL which I am not sure of the cost, water is $35, right now there is no phone because she didn't pay the bill, that adds up to no more than $950. I don't know what she spends on groceries, but there again, the kids should only pay a proportionate part. The two children's combined income is $1,730. I know there is money for school lunches, etc. but ..... the boy has $35 in his account, according to what his mother told him. When asked where the money went, she tells him she "paid bills." They had no bills for anything else, such as dental work or doctor bills. I think it has gone for past due bills for herself and her boyfriend. What I am told by Social Security, for any who are interested, is that I can make a complaint to the local office if I feel the money is being spent for something other than their needs, and the local office will investigate. It appears that there is enough leeway in what the guidelines state, that it will be hard to ever accomplish anything by complaining. I just don't want them to see them collect $9,180 per year for the next 3 years for the girl, and $9,180 for the next 4 years for the boy, and have nothing when they get ready to go to college.

chisue, take another look at how Social Security benefit amounts work, it's not how you say. As an example, just to keep the numbers simple, let's say a person qualifies at age 62 and starts then. They get 75% of the amount they'd get at 66. Real numbers, let's say it's $7500 at year at 62 and it would have been $10000 at 66. By waiting, they're getting a higher amount, yes, but that's not "a return on their investment". What they passed up getting was $7500 per year for 4 years = $30,000. It takes a lot of years with that $2500 increase (which will get cost of living adjustments) to equal the $30000 they passed up. If you factor in interest cost, for someone who isn't working, unless they feel confident to live to a ripe old age, taking it sooner can be better. See what I mean?

I am a boomer that relies on SSA and two tiny pensions to survive. I worked my entire life from age 17 on, paying into the system all along the way. I fit into that group of now retired workers that didn't really have an opportunity to contribute substantially to any retirement savings account like a 401K (instituted too late along the career path) and was not employed at a high enough salary level to be able to save much of anything anyway. My husband and I (when I was married) barely made enough to make ends meet, let alone save. In fact, we lost our home to foreclosure (the real estate crunch and a sub-par lender – bad combo) and divorced soon after. I am not alone in this situation. Other than utilities and car insurance, I have no bills. My car is paid for (nearly 20 yrs. old), no credit cards. And other than Medicare, no insurance. I simply cannot afford it. My biggest expense aside from rent is food and as a single person, that's not all that huge an expense but boy, have I ever noticed a sharp increase in my grocery bills over the last couple of years for essentially the same goods!! Right now I am looking for a new place to live – my tiny 650sf rental property of more than 6 years is about to be developed. I am finding that anything that fits my budget is barely livable – most want an income level 3 times the rent, whereas I barely can cover twice my current rent (although I have managed it successfully for the last 6 years). What's the alternative........homelessness?? For those retirees that can afford to live comfortably and securely without SSA, good for you!! But there are a lot of us out there that cannot, through no fault of our own. And Social Security alone – even with my small additional pensions – is barely a living income. Let me tell you, it is a tough row to hoe and causes me some sleepless nights and more stress than I would like to have to deal with. I have put off some major dental care I need simply because I couldn't afford it. Thankfully, a family member is coming forward to help out with that or I'd be walking around with no teeth in my mouth! I do receive some additional income from a small home business I conduct, however it is very seasonal and somewhat unreliable in its size and predictability and so cannot be used for income calculations for my housing situation. But it does just manage to keep the wolf from the door :-) As I said, I am not alone in these circumstances. I can think of any number of seniors in the same boat in my area. Please do not begrudge those of us who are forced to live in the reduced circumstance of just our SSA income, such as it is. It is not a pleasant or secure way to live out our “golden” years.

Just yesterday our IT dept gave us our monthly security updates. A new thing is for robocalls to your phone. They also 'spoof' numbers, so it looks like someone you know or from a call in your area code, etc. Hang up when you get these calls and NEVER say anything that sounds like yes. They can actually record your responses and then use them to charge things to your phone, even if you have no idea that they're doing that. Also never reply to texts or emails, they're usually automated and when there is a reply it's a hit and they know they have a good number. Just DELETE at all times. It happens more with companies than private people, but apparently 3 of our Directors got an email from our Agency Director requesting some sensitive information-and it wasn't from her at all-her name had been 'spoofed'. One of the victims happened to call her and ask about the email and she verified she'd never sent it-she even went to her own email account and there was nothign from her. So bottom line is just DO NOT engage at all. Delete the texts, emails, hang up the phone without saying anything. If it is truly a legitimate agency, they will provide YOU with the info, and not ask you to give them your info.