Opinions

By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty – About the Basics of Applying for Social Security   Dear Rusty: I am planning to apply for Social Security in May of 2022 and would like to understand how...

Representing approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. House of Representatives can mean I receive a lot of correspondence. Constituents contact me with numerous concerns, whether by phone, email, letter, or social media message. Your comments and inquiries are an asset as I do my job. While I cannot read or...

By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty – If I Die, What Happens to the Social Security Taxes I Paid?   Dear Rusty: I have heard that when my wife and I pass, the government keeps all...

October 11 of this year presents the spectacle of dueling holidays. Under federal law, the second Monday in October is Columbus Day, commemorating the arrival of the Italian explorer’s Spanish-backed expedition in the New World on October 12, 1492. Columbus Day celebrations have occurred going back to the nineteenth century....

By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty – Will My Social Security Be Reduced in the Future?   Dear Rusty: I started Social Security about 2 years ago and I thought that the monthly benefit amount stated...

By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty – Is My COLA Increase Based on My Current SS Benefit?   Dear Rusty: I started collecting SS when I turned 70 to maximize my income. One factor that is...

Winston Churchill famously said, “There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place.” This accurately depicts how the Democrats’ impending tax-and-spending spree will affect the American people. Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats attached an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling to a...

Rusty By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty – Will Retiring Early from Work Affect my Social Security?   Dear Rusty: I stopped working at age 55, well before my full retirement age...

One of the important roles of any member of Congress is to serve as a liaison for his or her constituents to the federal government. Acting as that liaison or ombudsman rarely gets headlines or letters to the editor, but it is one of the most important things that I...

By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens   Ask Rusty – About Including “COLA” in Benefit Projections   Dear Rusty: In your reply to “Confused Senior” about when to claim Social Security benefits, I noticed that you did not...