Title: 101 Social Security & Medicare Pitfalls...and How to Avoid Them
Is a single, overlooked deadline or a simple misunderstanding about the rules costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in retirement?
Navigating Social Security and Medicare can feel like walking through a minefield. The rules are complex, the advice from friends is often outdated, and one wrong step can lead to lifelong penalties, permanently reduced benefits, and unexpected healthcare costs that deplete your hard-earned savings.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. 101 Social Security & Medicare Pitfalls is the clear, practical, and up-to-date roadmap every American needs to secure the retirement they deserve. This guide demystifies the system and empowers you to sidestep the common traps that catch even the most diligent planners.
Thoroughly updated for 2025 to include major law changes! This edition contains essential, must-have information on the monumental changes that make other guides obsolete:
The Social Security Fairness Act: Understand what the full repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) means for public servants and claim the full, unreduced benefits you've rightfully earned.
The Inflation Reduction Act: Learn how to navigate the new, simpler Medicare Part D structure with its $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs, replacing the confusing "donut hole" and saving you money.
Inside this essential guide, you will discover how to avoid costly mistakes, including:
Pitfall #6: Missing your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period and facing permanent, lifelong late penalties.
Pitfall #22: Claiming Social Security benefits too early and permanently slashing your monthly income.
Pitfall #69: Mistakenly believing Medicare covers long-term care—a misconception that can devastate your savings.
Pitfall #15: Getting hit with an unexpected tax bill on your Social Security benefits.
Pitfall #47: Missing your one-time window for Medigap guaranteed issue rights and being denied coverage later.
Pitfall #25: Failing to coordinate spousal benefits for maximum household income and survivor protection.
..and 95 more costly pitfalls..."
Reference: Amazon