Patty Duke, 62, Will Wait to Claim Social Security
Yesterday I wrote about the new Patty Duke advertising campaign encouraging baby boomers to sign up for Social Security online. One ad depicts Patty Duke, in character as an older version of Cathy Lane from the 1960's sitcom The Patty Duke Show, sitting at her laptop and encouraging her cousin Patty Lane to sign up for Social Security online instead of going to the Brooklyn Heights Social Security office.
In real life, however, Duke, 62, has not yet signed up for Social Security. “For our ad campaign her characters from The Patty Duke Show, cousins Patty and Cathy Lane, are filing online for Social Security,” says Mark Hinkle, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration. “Patty Duke herself has said she plans on waiting a few years.”
Delaying claiming Social Security makes good financial sense for healthy people who think they might live a long life. Duke’s check amount will increase by approximately 7 percent for each year she delays claiming between now and her full retirement age, 66. (You can find your full retirement age here.) After age 66, her benefit checks will further increase by about 8 percent each additional year she delays claiming up until age 70. After age 70, there is no added benefit to delaying claiming your due.
Signing up online, though, provides a nice convenience. “Social Security’s new online retirement application can be completed in as little as 15 minutes from the comfort of your home or office,” according to Michael Astrue, commissioner of Social Security. “Filing online means there’s no need to drive to a local Social Security office or wait for an appointment with a Social Security representative.”
Astrue says 80 million baby boomers will become eligible for retirement at a rate of 10,000 a day for the next 20 years. I certainly don’t want to wait in that line.
Tags: retirement | social security
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Reader Comments
Social Security Pension Offset
In later life I switched jobs from private industry which paid into SS to a state job which did not. Even though I paid for years into SS, this offset regulation will take much of what I thought I would receive from SS. What a rotten deal. I'm not asking for compensation for years that I did not contribute, but only for the years I contributed. Apparently, you cannot draw from two govnment sources, even if you paid in. You can bet I will apply for my SS at 62 and keep on working forever.
Retirment
Please take me off you list I been retired since 1993 even went back to I'm disabled and do not need to hear anythig on retiment so please do not send me any more stuff now leave me a
lone THANK YOU When I took the survey I told them I was retired now you need to re-do your program that will understand when they say retire that they are.........
LACK OF PERSONS TO HELP ALL SS APPLICANTS
I AM APPALLED AT HOW OUR COUNTRY CAN JUST TOSS ITS RETIREES ASIDE AS IF WE'VE NEVER WORKEDA DAY IN OUR LIVES !! I WILL BE RETIRING WITHIN THE NEXT 3 YEARS AND I WOULD'VE HOPED THAT I COULD INTERACT WITH A LIVE HUMAN BEING AS I MOVE INTO THIS NEW AREA OF MY LIFE. HAVING A MACHINE TO TALK TO JUST DOESN'T SERVE MY PURPOSES ! CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE CHANGED, LIFESTYLES HAVE CHANGED AND OUR GOVT DOESN'T WANT TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE ! VITAL AND IMPORTANT JOBS LIKE THOSE IN THE SSA DEPARTMENT ARE MORE NEEDED NOW IN THIS GENERATION THAN EVER. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CUT EXPENDITURES. PEOPLE NEED THEIR JOBS AND WE THE PEOPLE NEED THEM TO HELP US DO OURS. RE-HIRE THOSE WHO HAVE PLEDGED TO DO MORE THAN THEY SHOULD, FOR LESS THEN THEY SHOULD. GIVE SOME MEANING TO US AS SENIORS AS WE ENTER THE MOST CHALLENGING TIME OF OUR LIVES !
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