Last week was absolutely incredible. With our daughter and granddaughter in town for my wife, Dawn's birthday. It is so amazing to see how much an infant's vocabulary grows over just a matter of weeks. It may be more amazing how parents learn to interpret their child's vocabulary 😄. As probably the easiest example, our granddaughter loves Baby Shark. But she doesn't call it "Baby Shark" or "Momma Shark." It's "Baby Doo-Doo" and "Momma Doo-Doo." Which, if you have ever heard the Baby Shark song, you know exactly what that means.

I had Grandpa duty a couple of times throughout the week as my wife and daughter went to pamper themselves a bit for my wife's birthday. Thought I'd share a pic.

Can I Stop My Social Security Benefits If I Go Back to Work?: A Listener Case Study

💬 From Episode 71:

Retirement rarely unfolds exactly as planned, especially when unexpected life changes occur.

In this episode, I share a real listener’s story involving Social Security, divorce, and the possibility of going back to work. I walk through step-by-step strategies to help women understand their Social Security options and prepare for future benefits.

Here’s what we cover:

• How to determine whether Social Security payments are based on personal or spousal benefits
• The rules for withdrawing a Social Security application within 12 months (Form SSA-521) and the repayment requirements
• The earnings test and how going back to work before full retirement age can reduce or later recalculate benefits
• How additional work years can replace low-earning years and improve future Social Security benefits
• The differences between ex-spousal benefits, survivor benefits, and how remarriage affects eligibility
• And more!

You can catch every episode of The Simply Retirement Podcast on the website - or on your favorite podcast app.

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Related Links & Resources

• 👉 Get Your Complimentary Retirement & Tax Analysis​
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• 🎧 Related Episodes
  • ​#47 - The Game-Changing Social Security Strategies​
  • ​#63 - Social Security Planning After Divorce: Crucial Rules and Mistakes to Avoid​
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This Week's Free Retirement Resource

👉 Will My Social Security Benefits Be Reduced?​
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Claiming Social Security benefits can be one of the more complicated decisions you make when planning for retirement. There are a multitude of rules that can have a significant and lasting impact on your future income stream and overall financial picture.

To help make this analysis easier, we have created the “Will My Social Security Benefits Be Reduced?” flowchart. It is based on the Social Security Administration’s guide, “Retirement Benefits,” and addresses common issues including:

• How to determine Full Retirement Age (FRA)
• Effects of marriage and divorce
• Implications of collecting benefits before, at, or after FRA
• Annual limits
• Impact of continuing to work while claiming benefits
• How benefits will be taxed

💥EVENT ALERT - TODAY 💥

Divorce and Retirement: What You Need to Know​
​Live Virtual Q&A with Jill Lowe & Eric Blake​
​TODAY!! | 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CT | Zoom Webinar

Are you navigating—or considering—divorce later in life? Wondering how it might impact your retirement, Social Security, or financial stability?

We’re inviting you to a special live Q&A event where collaborative divorce attorney Jill Lowe and retirement planner Eric Blake will answer your most important questions.

Have more questions about retirement planning? Just hit reply to this email. I read and respond to every message. 😃

Keeping Retirement Simple,

Eric Blake, CFP®

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