ThinkAdvisor | How to Help Clients With Make-or-Break Social Security Claiming Decisions

Published: May 16, 2023

“That’s why Birkett-Brunkhorst recently went through the effort of becoming a registered Social Security analyst via a course administered by the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts. She said the course (in addition to her extensive planning experience) has given her deeper insight into the critical considerations that go into Social Security claiming — when to claim, how to claim and what these decisions mean for a client’s lifetime benefit.”

Yahoo | Social Security 2023: 5 Things Millennials Should Be Focusing on for Retirement

Published: April 6, 2023

Millennials should expect Social Security will be a large part of their retirement planning process. Martha Shedden — president and co-founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts — said Social Security is a retirement program millennials, and their employers, contribute to with every paycheck through the FICA deduction. Essentially, it’s like how millennials contribute to their Roth or traditional IRA accounts and employer sponsored retirement plans.

CNET | The Social Security Administration Overpaid Me. What Should I Do?

Published: March 16, 2023

“If you need some additional support outside of the Social Security Administration, programs like Registered Social Security Analysts and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives can assist beneficiaries with these sorts of disputes and help them further understand the complexities of their benefits.”

Yahoo | Social Security 2023: Can You Be Asked To Pay Back Past Benefits?

Published: March 15, 2023

Martha Shedden, president and co-founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, said that there are two particular scenarios that are common reasons for overpayment. The first is “working while claiming early benefits (between age 62 and full retirement age),” she said. “There are specific limits on earnings allowed in this age group, and Social Security benefits will be withheld if over those amounts. If the SSA does not know of your income, when they eventually see it reported, they will send an overpayment notice.”

ThinkAdvisor | The 5 Elements of a Comprehensive Retirement Plan

Published: March 14, 2023

As a registered Social Security analyst (RSSA), I understand that Social Security is like an insurance product and, for many people, their largest asset, that will pay them a guaranteed, inflation-adjusted monthly income for life. It therefore makes sense that insurance agents are in the perfect position to be RSSAs. Life and health, long-term care and Medicare insurance are a vital part of retirement planning. Under the right circumstances, similar to insurance, annuity products can be an excellent retirement financial tool since they provide the guaranteed income for life that cannot be created from a traditional portfolio.

MarketWatch | Straight talk about Social Security

Published: February 10, 2023

“Martha Shedden, co-founder and president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, points out that even if only three quarters of scheduled benefits get paid, Social Security will still be the primary source of income for many, if not most, retirees. So it’s not clear how your retirement planning would change even if you believed that our politicians would let the Social Security trust fund become unable to pay 100% of benefits.”