Some of these rules don't make sense to me. It sure seems like there are a lot of ways to get far more social security benefits than were ever paid in. I don't blame people for taking advantage of the rules in place but I sure don't understand them. I understand and agree with survivor benefits but I really don't understand how a non-working spouse can get half of the working spouses benefits despite never paying in. It seems that it should be distributed at a household level based on household income if the marriage is maintained into retirement. It also doesn't make sense to me that multiple ex's can all collect the same amount. I don't understand how the system can sustain itself by paying out so much more than was contributed. But I guess that's why it's supposedly going bankrupt. If I'm wrong about any of these, please correct me as I would love to know the truth. My research has only shown me tips and tricks to maximizing benefits. I've been paying social security for 10 years and have another 35 to go. I really wish it were optional because I am pretty sure I will never see this money again.

I haven't gotten a letter yet, but there has been a lot of talk about it among the residents here at the retirement community. Because so many of us are in the "older generation" and our SS was based on the rates many years ago, we were making jokes about what the increase would mean for us. We pretty much decided we should all go out to celebrate . . . maybe at the local hot dog shack!! Laughter is good for the soul. Sue

cooper and sushipup, Thank you so much for the quick response. Yes, suhipup, I read your posting and others you posted in the past. They are very informative. I also read postings from other folks on this forum regarding the subjects. It made me realize that it would be better for me to find a comprehensive, updated source of information in one place instead of reading piecemeal. I will be back later to ask for inputs after checking out the sources you provided. Cannot focus on this subject since I have to shop for a new car now after the current one just got totalled. Life surely has its twist.

I also have a (slightly irrational) fear of identity theft. I do as Elizabeth does, I remove anything with name/address from junk mail, and that goes into the shredder. The shredded paper is used to start our wood stove. When we leave town, I collect up sensitive documents (bank statements, CC bills, etc) and put them in an unlikely spot. Our house is fairly secluded, and if anyone was bent on stealing data, they could spend hours in our house and nobody would know. I have info on tenants, which include applications with every piece of ID-theft data in one spot. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't protect that and someone got it. My document collection process takes me about 5 minutes, and I sleep better at night. With all of that, I don't take extra effort to protect tax records. They're in filing cabinets in an out-of-the-way closet, but they're there. They take up a lot of space, with two businesses, so I'm not sure what else I could do with them.