Want to learn the ideas in Get What’s Yours better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Get What’s Yours by Laurence J. Kotlikoff here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of Get What’s Yours

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Get What’s Yours, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Laurence J. Kotlikoff.

1-Page Summary of Get What’s Yours

Overview

Three experts, Boston University economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff, journalist specializing in retirement issues Philip Moeller and Yale international security professor and PBS Newshour business correspondent Paul Solman have created a guide to help people get the most out of their Social Security benefits.

Social Security taxes wages throughout a worker’s lifetime and pays benefits to retirees, the disabled, widows and widowers, etc.

The Social Security program is very large and complex, which leads to people sometimes struggling to understand their benefits. A key component of Social Security is that most people can begin taking their retirement benefits at age sixty-two, but they can delay until age seventy if they want a larger benefit. Another important aspect is that spouses are eligible for spousal benefits when their spouse applies for his or her own retirement. Therefore, it may be best for one spouse to apply as soon as he or she becomes eligible and then suspend the application until he or she reaches seventy so that both spouses get the maximum amount of money from Social Security.

There are many special life situations that affect Social Security benefits. For example, divorced couples can receive spousal benefits if they don’t remarry and meet the age requirement (over sixty-two). Gay marriage is not recognized in all states yet, so gay couples may or may not be able to get benefits depending on where they were married and live at the time of application. The U.S. government used to cover people who worked overseas but didn’t pay into Social Security, but no longer does this for new workers abroad. Another special situation is disability: disabled workers can collect early payments as well as their spouses and dependents when eligible under certain circumstances.

Social Security has faced serious challenges, but it’s always managed to overcome them. For example, budget cuts have threatened the program in recent years, but it will probably survive. Social Security is a popular government program that provides financial security for many Americans.

Key Takeaways

Social Security benefits are a critical part of retirement for Americans.

Social Security is a great benefit for many people, but it’s often underused. Many people don’t realize that there are other benefits to Social Security beyond retirement benefits. Some of the most important things to know about spousal and family benefits include the following: If you’re married when your spouse is eligible for Social Security, you should file as soon as possible so that your spouse can get their full benefit amount. You may also be entitled to receive spousal benefits if you have been married for at least ten years and meet certain conditions. Gay marriage laws vary by state, so check with an attorney or contact the SSA before filing any claims related to gay marriage. There are several different kinds of disability insurance available in addition to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Working longer than SSDI requires means not only delaying retirement but also working past full retirement age (FRA) on top of that. This can help maximize your lifetime earnings because it will increase both how much money you earn and how long those earnings last—and SSDI payments depend on both factors! Women live longer than men do, which affects their ability to collect Social Security because they’ll need more income over a longer period of time; this fact alone makes it worth considering whether or not women should work later in life compared with men who tend retire earlier than women do. The Earnings Test is one factor affecting people’s eligibility for receiving full monthly SSDI checks based on what they’ve earned during their careers; this test can reduce someone’s payment amounts if he or she earns too much from employment after reaching FRA. Although no one knows exactly what will happen down the road regarding changes in social security policy, some authors believe that we shouldn’t change its structure significantly while others believe we should make significant alterations immediately.