Steve Garfink
As I began planning our retirement finances many, many years ago, I discovered just how ignorant I was about how Social Security benefits work. Since then I have devoted myself to understanding this program and developing insights into why so many in the general public, especially baby boomers, remain poorly informed on the subject.
It turns out that – at least in this case – ignorance is not bliss: it is extremely costly: each year’s worth of retiring boomers leaves tens of billions of dollars of lifetime benefits on the table, simply because they are ill-informed and in many cases misinformed. My purpose is to change that, beginning today. While I have spent the last three years consulting primarily with financial professionals on this topic, today I launch this site with the goal of providing comprehensive education to baby boomers and all those who will follow their shoes into retirement.
Why? Several years and over half-a-dozen books on the topic later, I have developed a solid understanding of the subject of Social Security retirement benefits. I welcome you to follow in my tracks by checking out some of the better sources I have found, listed on the Bookshelf tab. However, I know most people can’t devote the next several years of their lives to duplicating this approach. They already have lives… For you, I created a video designed to cover the basics of what you need to know in a reasonable amount of time, so you don’t have to devote years to researching this subject the way I did.
While you can find video education for just about everything on the Internet, not so regarding Social Security claiming strategy – at least not that I could find. So I have invested considerable time to create just such a video which you can learn more about on my Home page. As you will learn, it will take an investment of your time, just over 90 minutes, to cover the basics. However, the vast majority of boomers will discover how they can come out tens of thousands of dollars ahead for singles and one hundred thousand dollars ahead – quite often hundreds of thousands of dollars ahead – for married couples. I trust you will find the video a good investment of your time!
If you find the video and other contents of the site valuable, please let others know. Believe me: what’s true for you is true for almost everyone, especially baby boomers who are now fully entering the years when they can start their benefits. As you will learn in the video, sharing this information can make a huge difference – perhaps the critical difference – for others in terms of their financial security during their retirement.
Finally, please keep checking back in. I promise to provide timely information concerning topics that may affect your benefits and I will continue to create educational videos that look deeper into the many subjects related to developing your best Social Security claiming strategy. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on subject as well.
As someone who is fortunately young enough to plan for retirement, I found Steve’s services to be extremely valuable. His comprehensive report laid out a claiming strategy for my fiancé and myself that maximizes our Social Security benefits that will allow us to live comfortably long into retirement.