Oct 29, 2015
Just a week ago I was casually telling audiences in Philadelphia, as well as individuals who asked, that I wasn’t very worried about the file and suspend technique going out of style anytime soon. After all, the primary noise had come out of the Obama administration budget proposal for fiscal year 2015, and it seems as though nothing that the administration proposes gains any traction in Congress. Moreover, our dysfunctional legislators in Washington seemingly cannot agree on anything, so I had little concern over the disparate factions getting together on something so lower and middle class friendly as Social Security.
(more…)
Nov 7, 2014
Peter’s consulting services are an absolute MUST for anyone who is engaged in retirement planning or getting ready to claim Social Security benefits. Had I availed myself of this type of assistance at the appropriate time, it would have meant an additional $24,000 to me and my wife over a four-year period.
In fact, even if I had approached him halfway through that four-year period, we would have been able to recover about $15,000. But he had not yet begun his practice at that time, and I am not familiar with anyone else who does this kind of work.
Peter’s creative approach to claiming strategies and encyclopedic knowledge of this subject area goes into every handcrafted report he prepares for his clients, resulting in an incredible value for individuals and couples of all descriptions.
I also had the opportunity to attend Peter’s presentation to an audience of over 100 people at the Vermont State Employees Credit Union annual meeting in March 2014. The one word that comes immediately to mind is: COMPELLING!
Jerome “Jerry” Diamond, Attorney
Montpelier, Vermont
Aug 26, 2014
I recently consulted with a very sophisticated client over an unusual Social Security planning situation and was gratified to receive the following email message from the client – along with her permission to post it on my website:
Dear Peter,
I can’t thank you adequately for your swift, professional and excellent advice on our rather tricky Social Security question. Your answer was creative, not obvious, and especially timely. You obviously are the “go to” person for anyone with Social Security issues. It’s wonderful to speak with someone who knows their stuff – and is creative and super-timely to boot!
I have over thirty years’ experience in financial planning with clients throughout Vermont, and wish I had known of your services many years earlier. You’d have saved me countless gray hairs, and my clients significant sums of money. Thank you for providing such a valuable service, and for doing it so beautifully.
Very much obliged to you,
Amy Leavitt
Former CFP and Principal, Leavitt Associates, Quechee, Vermont
Jun 28, 2014
The Social Security Maven has accepted an invitation to deliver two special presentations preceding the opening of the UVM Extension Tax School in November 2014. The presentations are scheduled at Essex Junction, VT, on November 4 and in Killington, VT, on November 10. The Tax School is annually attended by about 400 tax preparers located in the state of Vermont. Click here for more information.
Jun 6, 2014
It was back in 2010 when I heard a Social Security expert mention the terminology “file and suspend.”
It immediate captured my imagination, as it was the first inkling I had that:
- Social Security is complicated.
- You can approach claiming with actual strategies in mind.
- There are some really neat tricks available – like file and suspend!
It took some serious study before I truly understood how the technique works, when it is and isn’t available, and why one would use it. So it’s not surprising to me when I hear clients, as well as their professional advisors, throw the term around recklessly and inappropriately. Read more.
