Social Security benefits represent one of the few sources of guaranteed income that retirees can count on for life, and for most people, it is a key element of their retirement income plan.

Deciding when and how to claim Social Security benefits is one of the most important decisions that retirees ever make, but the rules are complicated. 

In "Maximizing Your Social Security Benefits" by Mary Beth Franklin, you will:

1. Understand how claiming age affects the amount of Social Security benefits received by retirees and their surviving spouses;
2. Learn how earnings from a job can reduce benefits if claimed before full retirement age and what to do if you retire after exceeding annual earnings limits;
3. Discover strategies to reverse early claiming decisions and create larger future benefits;
4. Learn how annual income affects Medicare premiums and possible strategies to reduce future premiums.

Your presenter is Mary Beth Franklin, CFP® Social Security Claiming Strategies and Medicare Speaker.

Mary Beth Franklin, one of the country’s leading experts on Social Security and Medicare. An award-winning journalist and Certified Financial Planner®, Mary Beth wrote a weekly column on retirement issues for Investment News, a publication for financial advisers. She is author of the ebook, Maximizing Social Security Retirement Benefits (www.MaximingSocialSecurityBenefits.com ).

In 2021, Editor and Published presented her with an EPPY award, citing her “On Retirement” column as the best business blog of the year. In 2022, she received the runner-up EPPY award in the same category and received the Investment News Trailblazer award for her contributions to the retirement income planning profession as part of Investment News’ annual Women to Watch event. Also in 2022, she launched “Social Security & You with Mary Beth Franklin” through the Maryland PBS TV network. She also serves on the CFP Board’s Women’s Initiative Council, which focuses on improving gender and racial diversity in the financial services profession.

Previously, Mary Beth served as the tax and retirement editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and editor of Kiplinger’s annual Retirement Planning Guide. Earlier in her career, Mary Beth was a Capitol Hill reporter for United Press International. She is a frequent guest on numerous radio and television programs and hosts her own podcast, The Retirement Repair Shop.

Moderator: Betty Meredith, CFA, CFP®, CRC®, Int’l Retirement Resource Center

1 hr CFP®, CRC®, and other CE Credit Reporting

We will report your CFP® and/or CRC® credit (no additional reporting fee) checkout.  After purchase you will receive an email with a token. Please redeem token to take this course. You will receive another email explaining where to enter your CFP® and/or CRC® IDs  You are responsible for reporting all other certifications for CE credit. 

Overall Rating: 4.6 / 5

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