Description

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Along with Medicare, Social Security is one of the "rites of passage" older Americans experience. After contributing funds to this program their entire working lives, people are anxious to start cashing in on their monthly benefits. Idiot's Guides: Social Security offers simple and clear explanations of the history of the program, the traditional age requirement, disability and survivor benefits, and the future of Social Security. A bonus decision tree helps recipients maximize benefits based on such factors as how and when benefits are filed, marital status, and future plans.

About the Author

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Fred Yager is the award-winning author of eight books, including two nonfiction books, as well as hundreds of articles on business and other topics published in a variety of publications. As staff writer for the Associated Press for 13 years, Fred covered everything from crime, politics, and the Watergate scandal to international conflicts and disasters. He won the prestigious Associated Press Broadcast News Writer of the Year Award. After the Associated Press, Fred worked as a writer for CBS Morning News and CBS Evening News followed by a year at Fox News as writer and editor. After Fox, Fred was at Merrill Lynch for 14 years, where he created and ran Merrill Lynch television for seven years. He has held writing, media relations, and content creation positions at various companies and organizations, including AARP Financial Services, UBS, eFinancialcareers.com, Medialink, and, most recently, Gibson Brands, Inc. Fred majored in psychology at CUNY (City University of New York). He also received a certificate in film production at NYU in their continuing education program. Prior to working at the Associated Press, Fred studied journalism at the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin, in Harrison, Indiana, as part of his four years of active duty in the US Navy. Jan Yager, PhD, is the award-winning author of 40 books, including more than a dozen business books such as Put More Time on Your Side, Productive Relationships, The Fast Track Guide to Speaking in Public, Work Less, Do More (second edition), Grow Global, Creative Time Management for the New Millennium, Business Protocol, Effective Business and Nonfiction Writing, Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry (with husband Fred Yager), and Career Opportunities in the Film Industry (also with Fred Yager). Jan Yager has a master's in criminal justice, and a PhD in sociology from the City University of New York Graduate School, where she had a predoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation. A frequent guest on TV cable and radio talk shows, Jan has been interviewed on the Today show, Good Morning America, The View, CBS This Morning, CNN, the Wall Street Report, MSNBC, The O'Reilly Factor, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC Nightline, and many other major shows.