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You have probably seen the user name ‘Beyond50Radio’ next to many articles on the www.Boomer411.com website. Some of you sent in comments that you like the wide array of topics covered by this trustee. (Definition: A “Boomer411 Trustee” is a person selected by Boomer411 board based on his or her expertise in the field;  a trustee selects articles and recommends them to be included in the search engine called, Boomer411, based on their working knowledge with Baby Boomers. So you can be sure that any article you find on Boomer411 is already reviewed and recommended by an expert). We are delighted to present you a closer view of the person behind this user name you often see on Boomer411, Daniel Davis and his amazing work on the ‘Beyond 50 Radio Show’. We thank Daniel Davis and his team for doing such a wonderful job in bringing interesting material to Baby Boomers through his radio program and for sharing their intriguing collection (click this link to access the complete listing of articles tagged by Beyond 50 Radio, to date) of valuable resources with our readers on Boomer411.com.

Boomer411: What is the “Beyond 50 Radio Show” and what makes it so unique?

DD (Daniel Davis): So many people think the name “Beyond 50” refers to age.  It actually means to get beyond half-way thinking toward solutions. At the heart of it, “Beyond 50” is not only an educational program for Baby Boomers (in their 40s – 60s), but also a socially and creatively-responsible one to bridge the generations in an inclusive way.  We like to regard ourselves as an alternative form of media that serves our growing audience with heart and intelligence. 
“Beyond 50” has been on-the-air for close to 5 years, getting our start in local radio stations in Portland, Oregon. We later moved the show online in November of 2007, which turned out to be an excellent move.  By offering the interviews as a podcast (in mp3 format), we’ve been able to syndicate our interviews on 125+ podcast networks and directories (like iTunes that has millions of listeners).  Every week, we have “new ears” from all over the world downloading past interviews from our archives.  It’s amazing to see the numbers of people tuning in double every 2 – 3 months and to interact with them during a broadcast. 

What makes our show a standout is our knack for seeking out and attracting exceptional radio guests who are innovative, cutting edge, top experts in their field, offbeat, and visionary leaders.  We’re constantly getting remarks from people wondering where we find these people because they’re so interesting.

Because of the high quality of our show’s content, we’ve got listeners who are young adults to seniors in age, but mostly those in their midlife who are listening regularly. 

Boomer411: Who were some of your favorite guests you’ve had on-the-air?
DD: To date, we’ve had over 700 guests on “Beyond 50”.  A common tie between all of them is that they are great educators. We prefer that.

Some of our most remarkable guests include Jeanne Keene, the lady in Homer Spit Alaska who feeds breakfast to hundreds of eagles in her backyard daily; Jacques Gauthier who walked all across Canada, then all across the United States after healing from debilitating all-body pain; TJ Marrs who teaches how to pay off your mortgage through his unique rapid mortgage payoff program in less than 5 years; Dr. Gabriel Cousens who has helped many with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes reverse their condition completely within 30-days; the “Columbo” actor, Peter Falk; Futurist Thomas Frey on the future of money; and so many more. 

Boomer411: Do you find that Boomers are receptive to listening to your show online?
DD: Absolutely! At first, we were apprehensive about moving “Beyond 50” from terrestrial radio to being totally online. Our assumption was that Boomers are so used to tuning in on their radio dial that they don’t want to change their habits. Not so. We’ve been told by many that they like the convenience of being able to hear our episodes whenever they want because everything is archived online. 

The other surprise was seeing a lot of Boomers with their own podcast show. The number of people doing this will increase as entrepreneurs in midlife use podcasting as a means to market and educate to new and existing customers. It is becoming more mainstream for many tuning in to broadcasts from their computer.

By listening online, there’s just more variety, compared to what’s offered in traditional radio on the AM and FM side.  This is similar to the numerous offerings on cable television versus free programming. What’s amazing is that podcasting has only been around since 2004.  Over time, you’ll notice a lot of traditional radio stations moving totally online to grow their listener base.  

Boomer411: What are your thoughts about how Boomers are portrayed by the media?
DD: We can tell that most of the media are having trouble figuring this group out. There’s no regard for diversity and complexity within the Baby Boomer population. Many in media just lump them together as if they all shared the same age and life experiences. The biggest no-no we find is lumping Boomers with Seniors like that. The media can be quick to offend their audience unknowingly by doing this.  That’s the same as when AARP says that 50 is Senior age. There’s definitely no group agreement on that, no matter how great the senior discounts can be.

Someone in their mid-40s doesn’t necessarily relate nor have the same practical interests with a Boomer in their mid-60’s. There’s definitely a generational gap. Media is slow to recognize emerging trends like those in their 50’s still having children or older Boomers going back to school and starting a business. There’s even a growing number living back home with their parents due to layoffs or from unfortunate circumstances. They are not all looking into retirement anytime soon or have lots of discretionary income as the media and mass marketers want you to believe.

Boomer411: Can you please share your experience of being a trustee on Boomer411?
DD: We like it a lot because we’re able to serve an even larger audience of Boomers.  We’ve never been a part of a combination search engine and bookmarking service before. It took us by surprise when some of our entries on Boomer411 started showing up as high rankings within the first few pages on major search engines like Google. This was within 24-hours to a few days after posting them on the site.
 
Also, we love to share the best of what we know and treat the privilege of being a trustee responsibly because there are thousands of readers every month going to Boomer411 that really want to find reliable and good information. We want them to keep coming back for more.

*Since 2004, Daniel Davis has served as the Radio Host of Beyond 50 Radio: America’s Talk Show for Baby Boomers. To tune in to the educational program, live broadcasts are every Friday, from 12 – 1 p.m. (PT)/3 – 4 p.m. (ET) on http://www.Beyond50Radio.com . They also offer a free e-newsletter from their website to learn more about their interviews.

You can tune in to the show by going to www.Beyond50Radio.com.  And check out our blog as well at www.Beyond50Radio.Blogspot.com.

Last week we presented Part 1 of our interview with Mr.Stanley Tomkiel III. Stanley Tomkiel is the author of two books on Social Security, namely Social Security Benefits Handbook and The Social Security Answer Book. Both the books are packed with lots of useful information in simple English.  You can read Part 1 of this interview here. Today we present you the second and concluding part of this interview.

Boomer411: Some of the questions and answers in your book imply that at times people do not claim or under-claim their Social Security Benefits. Is this correct? If yes, can you please elaborate on how and in what cases this happens most often.

ST: I have seen that many people do not claim all the benefits that they are entitled to.  Usually this occurs in the age frame from 62 to 66 because many people believe that you have to be completely retired in order to collect any Social Security benefits, and that’s not the case.  If your earnings in a given month are very low, regardless of the annual income and regardless of whether you have retired, you may be able to get a benefit for that month. 

If you have low annual earnings for a given year you may be able to collect some or even all of your benefits for the year.  Even if you are working above the yearly earnings limit, currently $13,560, it doesn’t mean that you can’t collect any benefits, only that there will be a reduction in benefits payable.  If you are under Full Retirement Age, which is now 66, you lose $1.00 of Social Security benefits for every $2.00 you earn over the limit.  So for example if you earn $25,000.00 this year, that’s $11,440.00 over the limit, so $5,720.00 must be withheld from your Social Security benefits.  But if your benefits are say, $900.00/mo, that comes to $10,800.00 for the year, (as long as you are over 62 for each month).  Only $5,720.00  needs to be withheld, so you can collect the difference, which is $5,080.  Most folks I know could put that money to good use rather than let the government keep it. 

And for the year you attain age 66, the annual limit jumps to $36,120, only the earnings in the months before the month you attain age 66 are counted, and the offset goes from 2 to 1 to 3 to1.  This means that a worker making even $100,000 a year could collect some benefits even if not retired.  And beginning with the month you turn 66, your earnings don’t count at all, and you get your benefits even if you’re making a million dollars a year! 

Also there is the monthly test that you can use in one calendar year.  You get to choose which year it will be.  Under this monthly earnings test, even if your annual earnings are too high to prevent the payment of any benefits, nevertheless you can receive a benefit for any month in which your earnings are below the monthly earning’s limit, which is 1/12 of the annual earnings test. If you are laid off for a period, or you take a long vacation, or become ill, or you just don’t feel like working, if your earnings in a given month are below the monthly limit then you can receive a Social Security monthly benefit for such months, no matter how high your annual earnings.

Another case where benefits are lost is in the case of a divorced wife or husband.  If you’re divorced at least two years from a SS covered worker, you can receive a spouse’s benefit even if the worker is still working, as long as he or she is age 62.  This is called “deemed entitlement.”  

Many people don’t realize how to take advantage of these rules.   Sadly, they lose those benefits. 

Boomer411: Approximately, what is the rough amount in dollars that might go unclaimed per year? What is one category of benefits that is usually ignored or the most unclaimed/under-claimed? If someone forgot to claim, can they go back and make a claim for retroactive benefits?

ST: I cannot approximate the amount of dollars that might go unclaimed in a year because I’m not an economist but some numbers will give you an idea of what we are talking about.  There are now 50 million beneficiaries in the United States and the Social Security Administration paid $585 billion in benefits in 2007.  In 2008 that will be closer to $600 billion.  That comes to approximately $50 billion a month; so even a very small percentage of such high numbers is very significant.  About 4 million claims are made each year. 

To put it on a personal level the average Social Security benefit is somewhere around $1,000.00 for a worker and $500.00 and change for a spouse; same for a child.  I’ve seen people lose several months’ worth of benefits because they missed a filing deadline or were unaware that they could have received something.  So, if you don’t know all the rules and don’t make the right moves, you stand to lose thousands and thousands of dollars. 

Unfortunately there are limits on retroactivity of applications, so if you file late, you can lose out.  The retroactive period for an application depends on the type of benefit.  The application of a retired worker under full-retirement age has no retroactivity if it would result in the payment of a reduced benefit.  For a retired worker who is above full-retirement age the retroactivity can be as much as six months.  Same for most survivor benefits.  For disabled workers and their dependents however, there is a 12 month retroactivity period.

One of the most important things a person can do if he or she is approaching social security time is to file a ‘Protective Filing Statement’ with the local SS office.  This can be done by mail.  Such a statement will protect the filing date without having to make the actual application.

Boomer411: In your intro to chapter 1 in the book, it says, ‘The general intent for retirement benefits was originally to provide a replacement for income lost due to age and its attendant restrictions on earning capacity. In recent years, this has been modified to become an age entitlement program’. Can you please elaborate on this?

ST: Sure.  Originally, if a beneficiary was working, his or her benefits were reduced or completely withheld because the program was designed to replace earnings lost due to retirement.  They still call the benefits Retirement Benefits.  Then the law was amended quite some time ago to allow those age 72 or older to keep all their benefits even if they were still working, no matter how much they earned.  In the 80’s this was lowered to age 70, then in 2000 this was lowered again to age 65, which at that time was Full Retirement Age.  FRA is now 66.  So retirement benefits are paid regardless of earnings once the person reaches Full Retirement Age, which doesn’t have anything to do with being retired, only with being age 66.  So instead of replacing earnings lost due to retirement, the SS program pays benefits based on age, so I call it an age entitlement program now.

Boomer411: Can you tell us about the hardest question that you were asked in your role as an SSA claims representative? And how you approached/answered it?

ST: Oh yes.  It has nothing to do with rules or forms or required documents.  The hardest question has always been: “How can I live on that?” when I would tell a retiree how much his benefit was going to be.  Sadly, the Social Security program has been oversold to many people over the years as if it would provide for a comfortable retirement income.  It was never intended to do so, being intended only to be about 1/3 of a retirement income, with another 1/3 from private pensions, and 1/3 from personal savings.  I felt as if I had hit the poor retiree in the head with a two-by-four!  Sadly, I had no answer.  The answer should have been asked long before retirement age.

Boomer411: Why should a Baby Boomer read your books? What other information can be found in the books?

ST:  Well, I have two books out, The Social Security Answer Book and The Social Security Benefits Handbook.  In the Answer Book, I compile hundreds of questions from real people, and give specific answers.  I have organized the questions by topic, so for example, if a reader wants to look at questions about Survivor Benefits, or Wife’s Benefits, they are grouped together.  I think that sometimes people don’t even know how to formulate a question because they are unfamiliar with basic concepts and terms.  So the Answer book helps not only by giving answers in straightforward words, but also to help people know how to ask questions by seeing what others have asked. 

The Social Security Benefits Handbook is more like a reference source rather than a read-through type of book.  It contains a statement of the rules and procedure of SS in layman’s language, so people unfamiliar with technical terms should be able to find out specific information.  It covers not only the applications rules and procedures, and how benefits are calculated, but also so-called “post-entitlement” issues, such as what to do if you are overpaid and the government wants money back, what you must report to SS, what happens if a check is missing or not received, and so forth. 

Folks getting close to age 62 should be familiar especially with the application process and the earnings limits rules so they can make sure they don’t miss out on receiving all the benefits coming to them.

And of course, readers can e-mail me questions which I will post on my blog along with my answers.

This concludes our interview with Mr.Stanley Tomkiel III. To learn more about Mr.Stanley and his works or to submit your own social security question to him, please visit the following links.
www.Tomkiel.com
www.SocialSecurityBenefitsHandbook.com
www.SimpleSocialSecurity.blogspot.com

Today in our series on interviews, we present you our interview with Mr.Stanley Tomkiel III. Stanley Tomkiel is the author of two books on Social Security, namely Social Security Benefits Handbook and The Social Security Answer Book. Both the books are packed with lots of useful information in simple English.  This is the type of information that every retiree should be aware of, but sadly there are a lot of misconceptions still prevalent among many. So we wanted to showcase Mr.Stanley’s work for our readers and hopefully it will help some people. So without further ado, we present you our interview with Mr.Stanley Tomkiel…

Boomer411: Mr.Stanley, can you please tell our readers about yourself? And what motivated you to write the book ‘The Social Security Answerbook’?

ST: I’m a lawyer in New York City.  I was born and raised in Westchester and educated in Catholic schools all the way through College.  I went to law school at Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts.  I’m married with two grown children and I’m the proud grandfather of two grandchildren. 

After college I worked for the Social Security Administration as a claims representative in field offices in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  My job was to interview people applying for SS benefits, gather the necessary information and documents then to make decisions by applying the SS regulations. 

I realized how many people had misconceptions about Social Security, and also that there was a lot of erroneous information being spread in the media.  It seemed most people were confused by the SS rules. After I left the Social Security Administration, I went into private law practice. And again I encountered the same situation: confusion and misunderstanding, misconceptions and bad information.

So in 1984 I published the first edition of the Social Security Benefits Handbook.  The Handbook has been updated throughout the years and it is now published by Sphinx Publishing, a division of Sourcebooks.  The publisher suggested that I also write The Social Security Answer Book because I receive so many questions from people.  The Social Security answer book is a compilation of typical questions that I have received over the years.  I have organized the questions and answers into topical chapters.  I tried to distill down these questions to the most common and important ones, so my answers will have the most practical and widespread relevance.   Because Social Security information changes, even from year to year, I put up a website to keep the information in my books up-to-date.  This is the Social Security Benefits Handbook Online Edition at www.SocialSecurityBenefitsHandbook.com.

Boomer411: Please tell our readers about your blog, ‘Simple Social Security’ and how it might be useful to Baby Boomers?

ST: I receive questions about SS from people all over the country, so I post these questions with my answers on my blog, Simple Social Security at SimpleSocialSecurity.blogspot.com

Boomer411: Tell us about your law practice?

ST: First let me say that although I am a Boomer, I have no plans on retiring!  I practice personal injury law as a partner in Tomkiel & Tomkiel with offices in Manhattan and Yonkers, NY.  I began practicing law with my father in 1979, and now my son is a lawyer and my partner, the third generation.   I used to handle Social Security cases myself, but because I am so busy with personal injury cases, I now make referrals for people who need lawyers for their Social Security claims. 

Boomer411: In your opinion, do people in their 30’s and 40’s have any hope of taking advantage of the Social Security benefits in its current form when they retire? Also, what can a person in this age group do to better prepare themselves for a good retirement?

ST: I am as sure as someone can be about the future, that people now in their 30’s and 40’s will receive Social Security benefits, but I would be very surprised if the system is the same as it exists now.  Since it was founded in 1937 Social Security has seen many, many changes.  Most of these changes in the first decades expanded the program and increased benefits that are payable.  In the last few decades, that direction has changed, with one important exception (the elimination of the “retirement test”). 

The most recent significant change is the gradual   increase in full retirement age from age 65 to age 67 (it is currently age 66).  I expect that in the future that will rise even higher because current monthly benefits are paid from current workers’ payroll taxes.  The Baby Boom generation was not exactly prolific, so the number of workers as a ratio to the number of beneficiaries is declining and will continue to decline.  It is now about 3.3 to 1, i.e., about three workers pay the taxes that fund the benefits of one worker.  And as people live longer, with fewer young people paying taxes, that ratio is expected to drop to 2.1 to 1 by 2034.

So I would say that in the future, unless people immediately start having very large families it will be absolutely necessary to cut back the amount of benefits being paid from the system.  And there may be a switch at some point to a private Social Security account system perhaps integrated with the government-run programs. 

The best thing that young people should do about retirement planning  is to realize that the government’s role in providing their retirement income is going to decrease significantly, so they must be prepared to rely on their own resources. 

And that means to save and invest, whether it be in stocks, bonds, real estate, or babies!  Hey, if you have five or six children who can help fund your retirement, that’s a lot cheaper than the expected 2.1 ratio.  Now maybe we need a tax credit for people who support their parents in their old age, instead of having the government take the workers’ money in taxes and then giving it to their parents in benefits.  Why not cut out the middleman?  Just a thought.

This concludes Part 1 of the interview. Stay tuned for the second part of this interview in which Mr.Stanley shares valuable information on situations when people usually leave money on the table and how one can make sure to get all the money he or she is entitled to from uncle Sam and more.

We all know that we have two parts to our brains. Our left brain that is analytical in nature and our right brain is the source of our creative juices. Some are more left brained while some others are more right brained. But how much do we know or realize the capabilities that our brain gifts us with? How much do we understand the capabilities of each of these parts?

I can almost hear you say, why should I care?

Yes, Why should you care?

If learning about this helped you live your life more holistically, if learning about this helps you relieve some of your stress-points, if learning about this changes who you are for the better that you always wanted to become, wouldn’t you care?

Judith Auslander of Wise Heart Coaching (commercial break: Judith has joined the privileged group of Boomer411 trustees. So watch for her web site/article recommendations on Boomer411) shared this insightful video, titled ‘My Stroke of Insight’.

Click here to watch the video, titled ‘My Stroke of Insight’.

In this video, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neural anatomist shares her own experience in an engaging, gripping conversation with us. To keep the element of surprise, I am not revealing her experience. But I am very positive that it will touch you and stimulate you to look at your life differently; it sure touched me. Be sure to sit down, relax and watch the video with a calm and open mind for maximum learning.

As you watch this, think about how annoyingly left-brain oriented, as a society, we have become. What a wonderful gift it would be to our lives to find that Nirvana, that inner joy to resonate throughout our lives?

After you watch the video, scroll down and answer this question…

Who has the power or control to let that life force, that inner joy to resonate throughout our lives or not?

Do post your comments/thoughts on the same.

We are delighted to introduce you to our new guest columnist, Rita Robison. Rita is a consumer writer and runs the blog, Boomers Survive and Thrive Guide and she also writes a Boomer Consumer blog on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. As times are tough these days, financially speaking, and stretching those few dollars is a really good idea, we requested Rita to pen a guest column for our readers on a weekly basis and share her insights with our audience. Rita has gracefully accepted our request. Thank you Rita. Let’s hear more about Rita in her own words…

Since 1977, I’ve been fortunate to be able to be a consumer writer.

My columns have appeared in The Anchorage (Alaska) Times, The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune, The Spokesman (Spokane, Wash.) Review, and The Olympia (Wash.) News.

My favorite job was being a consumer action column writer for The Anchorage Times. I answered questions from readers. My column was called Tell It to Bud – Bud stood for ombudsman.

I love doing consumer research. It’s fun to do all the interviews it takes to get a story. I’ve obtained quotes from the White House, tracked down Ralph Nader, and convinced Elizabeth Kubler Ross that she should take the time for an interview.

Knowledgeable specialists in retirement, heart disease, stress management, insurance, housing, relationships, hearing aids, dentistry, foot care, finances, aging, and dying have also provided information for my columns. Writing consumer columns for newspapers has brought me much joy. I’ve been able to research issues of importance to readers.

Here are 15 items that are among the key things that I’ve learned during my years as a consumer columnist:
-  The importance of having a living will.
-  How to decide whether to buy long-term care insurance.
-  Tips for the new retirement – the go-go, slow-go, and no-go phases.
-  What consumer books and green gifts make good presents for the holiday season.
-  How to handle credit card debt and collection agencies.
-  What to do about clutter.
-  How to buy cell phones, long-distance phone service, and computers.
-  How to avoid accidents in the home.
-  What you need to do to be prepared for emergencies.
-  How to pick out a charity.
-  How to select contractors and roofers.
-  How to buy a manufactured home.
-  The benefits and drawbacks of Medicare Advantage, a way to combine Medicare and supplemental policies under one private company that manages a person’s Medicare benefits.
-  The benefits of massage.
-  Stress reduction techniques.

Now I’m a blogger for boomer consumers. My blogs are:
- The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide – http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
- Boomer Consumer, a reader blog for the Seattle (Wash.) Post Intellingencer – http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/boomerconsumer/.

I’m pleased that Boomer411 has asked me to be a weekly guest blogger. I’m looking forward to having a conversation with you on how consumers can take action during these trying economic times.