Avoiding the Timing Landmines Hidden in Social Security and Medicare

If you think choosing when to start claiming Social Security benefits can be confusing, you’re right. But did you know there is even more to consider when deciding when to start collecting those benefits?

If you are approaching or planning for retirement, you need a Medicare enrollment strategy that synchronizes with your Social Security claiming strategy in order to:

• Reduce your risk of losing benefits,
• Prevent you from incurring penalties, and
• Maximize your benefits from both programs for the rest of your life.

Medicare and Social Security are programs that "talk to each other." Missed deadlines or poorly-timed benefit claims could mean as much as thousands of dollars of lost income.

What we don't know can hurt us. So, here's a quick look at why you must verify deadlines and information for each program so everything is done right.