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Your Winning Retirement Game Plan
By Phil Walton, Social Security Manager in Toledo, OH
Guest Column
This month, a driver will take the checkered flag at the
Daytona 500, skiers will stand atop the podium at the World
Alpine Ski Championships in Vail, Colo., and a football team
will win Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz. The sports are
different, but the winners share a common trait—years
of commitment to their plans.
To win the retirement game, you also need commitment and a
plan. For years, you’ve worked hard and paid into Social
Security. Whether you’re new to the workforce or getting
ready to cross your own career finish line, you’ll want to
open a my Social Security account to see how
your hard work is paying off. You can create or access your
account at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
You can use it to verify your earnings history, get
estimates of your future Social Security benefits, and more.
It’s the place to get the information you need to put
together your own winning game plan.
A good NASCAR pit crew keeps its driver on the track, and
our Retirement Estimator can do the same for your
retirement plan. The Estimator offers an instant and
tailored estimate of your future Social Security benefits
based on your earnings record. You can plug in different
anticipated yearly earnings to discover different retirement
options and learn how your benefits could increase if you
work longer. Give the Retirement Estimator a test
drive today at
www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.
Once you’ve come of age to retire—or if you’re just in the
planning phase—our quick and convenient online services are
in place at
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline.
In as little as 15 minutes, you
can speed through our online application.
In most cases, once your application is submitted
electronically, you're done. There are no forms to sign and
usually no documentation is required.
Fine-tune
your game plan. Take advantage of
our services and resources at
www.socialsecurity.gov
to optimize your retirement.
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