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Social Security

Social Security is available only to those who pay into the program—about 96% of American workers. While you may think that everyone pays into Social Security, some people do not—employees of some railroads and state employees who participate in state pension programs, among others. Social Security offers participants a predetermined, steady, lifetime income based on the amount of money they have put into the program. To a certain extent, it adjusts for inflation and offers survivor’s benefits. You probably know that the longer you delay receiving your Social Security benefits, the more money you will receive each month.

Why do so many people get it wrong?

Well, it may have something to do with the fact that the official Social Security Handbook contains no less than 2,728 separate rules governing Social Security benefits. Let’s put it another way. In a recent book on Social Security planning published for financial professionals, over 40 percent of the book is devoted to a discussion of various Social Security strategies for couples! Many more pages are devoted to discussions of strategies that are designed for singles and non-traditional couples.

How Anyone Can Maximize Social Security for Retirement

Maximizing Social Security benefits assumes that the claiming strategy employed is done with knowledge of your date of death. If you wait until age 70 to claim the highest monthly payout but predecease your life expectancy, it would have been better to claim at an earlier age, at a reduced monthly benefit.

For some reason, many people don’t think of Social Security as part of their financial resources or as something that requires planning. The fact is that if you’re like most people, Social Security will represent 35% percent of your retirement income—or at least it can if you maximize it.

Two common and threatening misconceptions about Social Security

  1. Social Security is simply a matter of signing up for it; there are not many decisions that have to be made.
  2. The Social Security administration is well equipped to help you with the sign-up process.

Both of these notions are utterly incorrect. Making an incorrect decision can leave hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. And, in fact, the Social Security Administration is not permitted to assist you with making choices.
I took the time to become an expert in Social Security issues so that I could help my clients maximize their Social Security resources as part of their complete retirement portfolios.

Thanks for taking the time to read this material. I hope it will convince you that:

  1. Social Security is not just a matter of signing up; choosing how and when you receive your benefits is a complex task, and it’s an important one.
  2. Performing the task improperly can have severe consequences for you, your spouse, and your children.
  3. I am ready to assist you in choosing appropriate/optimal options for you and your loved ones.
How I Can Help

Meet Gary Copeland

With more than 36 years of experience as an independent financial advisor, Gary has developed a financial planning practice in which he specializes in the areas of wealth accumulation and preservation, pre-retirement and post retirement planning, income distribution planning, tax planning, and estate planning. His belief is that sound, prudent planning starts with an academic approach, which involves the coordination of banking, investing, insurance, tax strategies and a solid estate plan. He seeks to identify and isolate financial threats and share innovative solutions that could save from costly mistakes.
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Gary W. Copeland is registered with securities and investment advisory services offered through Brokers International Financial Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Brokers International Financial Services, LLC is not an affiliated company. This site is published for residents of the United States only. Representatives may only conduct business with residents of the states and jurisdictions in which they are properly registered. Therefore, a response to a request for information may be delayed until appropriate registration is obtained or exemption from registration is determined. Not all of services referenced on this site are available in every state and through every advisor listed.

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Gary W. Copeland holds the Series 6, 63, and 65 licenses. He is approved in GA, FL and AL for advisory, insurance and securities services. 

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