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NOVEMBER 2022
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Get the Most Out of Your Social Security
8 Easy Strategies to Maximize Your Benefits
$300,000 a year, the agency will still only count $147,000 as a contribution toward your Social Security that year.
Social Security is an insurance program that provides you a source of income after you retire or lose your capacity to work due to a disability. Since there are so many different methods for using Social Security, many people might not know the best ways to potentially get the most out of the program.
Consider when to take Social Security. The full retirement age (FRA) for Americans born between 1943 and 1954 is 66. Every year you were born after 1954 increases your retirement age by two months. So, if you were born in 1955, you can claim your benefits at 66 years and two months old. If you were born in 1956, that’s 66 and four months old. This continues until age 67.
Here are the eight best strategies to maximize your Social Security benefits.
Work 35 or more years. When you retire, the Social Security agency looks back and counts your 35 highest earning years of work. If you do not work for 35 years, the agency marks your income as zero for every year that you missed. Those years are used to calculate the benefits you receive after you retire, so you must work for a minimum of 35 years to get the most money possible. Earn a higher salary. As obvious as this sounds, trying to increase how much you earn before you retire is smart financial planning. The more you make while still working, the more money you’ll pay to Social Security. However, there is an income maximum of $147,000 a year in 2022. This means that even if you earn
It’s important to note that you can claim as early as age 62, but it’s reduced by 25%. If you’re someone born after 1954, your benefits will be reduced by 30%.
Consider delaying. If you don’t take your benefits at your FRA, the Social Security Administration will bump your benefits up 8% per year. If you wait until 70 to claim your benefits, you’ll receive 32% more money than you would have at the age of 66. If your retirement age is 67, and you wait until you’re 70, it’s a 24% increase. Pay back your Social Security. Let’s say you claim your Social Security early and realize it was a mistake soon after. Don’t worry! You can pay back the benefits you’ve received, and it will be like you never claimed at all. However, if you take your benefits after your FRA, you can suspend them anytime, you don’t have to pay them back, and your benefits will still increase by 8% a year. Use your Social Security spousal benefits. There is no requirement to claim your spouse’s benefits other than being married for one year. You can claim half of your spouse’s benefits even if you’ve never worked a day. You can also claim benefits if you’ve been divorced, as long as you were married for 10 years and not remarried before age 60. Just know, if you claim these benefits before your FRA, it’s reduced by 25–30%.
More Income and Less Taxes in Retirement Seminar Nov. 1 & 3 — 6:30 p.m. 15th Street Tavern (Ortonville) Nov. 8 & 10 — 6:30 p.m. Iroquois Club (Bloomfield Hills) Nov. 15 & 17 — 6:30 p.m. Filippas (Shelby Township)
Register today at BridgeriverLLC.com! Free dinner provided.
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A DAILY DOSE OF GRATITUDE Raising Thankful Children
Most parents want their kids to view Thanksgiving as a meaningful event — not just an opportunity to indulge in turkey and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, most kids’ eyes will glaze over when their parents launch into a lecture about thankfulness. You will likely find better success by emphasizing the value of gratitude all year long. “What do you say?” It’s a question we all ask our young children after someone does something nice for them. This practice instills good manners, but it shouldn’t be confused with teaching gratitude. Imparting the meaning behind the words “thank you” takes something more. If you want grateful children, you need to be grateful parents. Consider how you can incorporate gratitude more into your everyday life. Are you as thankful as you should be? Do you repay favors and write thank-you notes? Do you
regularly talk about why you’re so fortunate or what you’re thankful for? Cultivating gratitude in your life sets a good example, and many studies show it benefits your mental health as well. Next, consider how you can encourage your child to reflect on who they’re grateful for. Acts of kindness and returning the favor to those who have been good to us can inspire kids to put their gratitude into action. Doing some yardwork, sharing a toy, or making a painting as a gift can help children understand how powerful it can be to outwardly show our gratitude for the people who are in our lives. Consistency is the most crucial factor, so try to find ways you can incorporate gratitude into your everyday routine. Children of any age can keep a gratitude journal with their parents’ help. Some families also use a gratitude jar
where each family member can write what they’re grateful for on a slip of paper and add something different to the jar each week. It’s the perfect way to keep gratitude front and center. These lessons may not sink in immediately, but by cultivating these positive habits in our everyday lives, you will see a big difference in the long run.
BEYOND SUGAR SKULLS
‘Coco’ Educates and Entertains
A 12-year-old boy accidentally banished to the land of the dead befriends a skeleton at risk of being forgotten by his living relatives. Together, they travel through a vibrant, musical, and sometimes bittersweet afterlife in search of a way to solve both their problems. Welcome to the magical world of Disney Pixar’s film “Coco.” “Coco” takes place in Mexico on Día de Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead. The Nov. 2 celebration is a time to honor deceased ancestors, but the festivities are at least as joyful as they are somber. Though American awareness of this holiday bubbled under the surface for decades, it exploded when “Coco” hit theaters in 2017. Five years later, the film hasn’t lost its charm and manages to be slightly morbid and uplifting at the same time. It’s also a fascinating peek into a culture many American viewers don’t know well. The film follows Miguel, a child with a passion for music. Unfortunately, his family has sworn off music after a musician relative brought tragedy to his family many years ago. A series of mishaps whisks him off to the land of the dead, where he meets a down-on-his-luck skeleton named Hector. They set off on an adventure to help each other and learn that they have more in common than they first suspected.
use an ofrenda (altar) to remember their dead relatives, travel to the cemetery to visit their graves with offerings, and take time to remember them. The film also portrays the belief that death is not the end of life but rather a new phase.
If your family is unfamiliar with Día de Muertos, viewing “Coco” is an excellent way
to learn more about the holiday. It’s also an opportunity to discuss some weighty topics together as a family. Children may feel more comfortable approaching the scary subject of death after watching the movie, and it could be the perfect chance to discuss your family’s beliefs. You might also consider how you can better remember your relatives. Any parent looking to pass down their family’s history without their children’s eyes glazing over might never find a better moment. So, sit down together this November to enjoy the family-friendly tale of “Coco” and see what else you might discover.
Despite its fanciful nature, most experts agree that “Coco” accurately represents how people celebrate Día de Muertos. It shows how families
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A SOFT TOUCH
PREVENTING DRY WINTER SKIN
or overwashed, or when the air is insufficiently humid, moisture escapes and causes dry skin.
Speaking of showers, it might be time to give up the long, hot kind. They might feel great, but they strip away the natural oil in your skin that prevents it from drying out. Keep your showers short and use warm water instead of hot. You also don’t want to overdo it with scrubbing or soaps. Treat your skin gently and use moisturizing shower products. Finally, if dry skin does catch up with you, stay calm and avoid scratching. Resisting instant relief is difficult, but scratching will only damage and dry the skin more. Further, research shows scratching doesn’t even work — it only makes you itchier. Applying a thick moisturizer should do the trick for most itches, and you can use a cold pack for the most persistent ones. This step will take willpower, but your skin will thank you later.
So, increasing the humidity around you is one of the best ways to keep your skin from turning into sandpaper. An inexpensive humidifier will do wonders, particularly at night while you sleep. It won’t completely solve the problem, but it’s a good start. It also has the bonus of keeping your eyes, nose, and mouth less dry. Moisturizer is crucial to reducing itchy and flaky dry skin, but it’s also essential to moisturize correctly. Thicker lotions work better on dry skin, so find one that doesn’t come in a pump bottle. Ideally, you should be able to hold the jar upside down without the moisturizing cream falling out. Additionally, try to apply lotion immediately after your shower; it’s the best way to seal in the moisture.
Winter seems specifically designed to make your skin dry and flaky. You must contend with cold air, low humidity levels, and dry furnace heat. Fortunately, there are things you can do to fight back. Here are some expert tips on having the softest skin possible during the upcoming cold months — without spending a fortune. Our skin consists of several layers, but we can only see the stratum corneum. It has to be tough to protect the other layers against outside threats. The stratum corneum also acts as a barrier, preventing the 60% of our bodies that is water from evaporating into thin air. But when skin is damaged
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Maximize your survivor benefits. If your spouse dies, you can claim the benefits they would have gotten at their FRA as young as 60. If you’re disabled, you can claim as early as 50. Make sure to claim the benefits you deserve if your spouse has passed away. Same rule applies, if you take it early, the benefits may be reduced so verify with the SSA before applying. Estimate your longevity. Because Social Security pays out for the rest of your life, when you take it matters. If your family has a history of living into their 90s, it might be a good idea to wait until you’re 70 to claim it. It’s also recommended that the higher earner in the family waits the longest to claim their benefits. This is to leave your family more money when you pass. Follow these eight strategies, and you can rest easy when it comes to your retirement. If you need help navigating your Social Security benefits, visit my website
Roasted Pork Loin With Apples
Inspired by MomFoodie.com
Ingredients
• 4 lbs pork loin • 2 tsp garlic powder • 2 tsp salt, divided • 1 tsp black pepper • 8 apples • 2 red onions
• 3 garlic cloves • 1 tbsp brown sugar • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tsp cinnamon • 3 tbsp butter, softened
Directions
1. In a large bowl, season pork loin with garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper, then cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 2. Preheat oven to 425 F. 3. Slice apples and onions, then chop garlic cloves. Season with brown sugar, olive oil, remaining salt, and cinnamon. 4. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, place a layer of apples and onions in the pan, put pork loin on top, then place remaining apples and onions around it. 5. Break butter into small pieces and place them on the pork loin and apples. Place dish in oven and let it bake for 15 minutes. 6. Reduce the heat to 350 F, then continue to bake for 60 minutes. 7. Remove dish and stir apples and onions. 8. Increase heat to 450 F, put dish in oven, and roast for an additional 8–10 minutes.
BridgeriverLLC.com to schedule an appointment today. I’ll help you create a comprehensive plan so you can get the most out of your benefits. -Dan Casey
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INSIDE
This Issue
8 Fool-Proof Tips to Optimize Your Social Security Benefits
A Daily Dose of Gratitude
Learn About Día de Muertos From ‘Coco’
Keeping Skin Soft in Cold Weather
Roasted Pork Loin With Apples
What Your Heart Rate Means
DON’T MISS A BEAT Understanding Your Activity Tracker’s Heart Rate Data
About 20% of Americans wear fitness trackers — and if you’re one of them, your watch of choice probably has a function to track your heart rate. Those who take a more relaxed approach to physical activity might also hear a nurse announce the pulse rate during a doctor’s visit. But do you know what those numbers mean? We’ve got the answers. There are three heart rate metrics: resting, target, and maximum. Resting heart rate is calculated when a person is not engaged in any activity. A target heart rate indicates the ideal heart rate to reach during exercise. Finally, your maximum heart rate reflects the number you should never exceed. An adult’s average resting heart rate is between 60–100 beats per minute. Lower numbers within that range are better for a person’s health. Elite
athletes may have heart rates below 60, but tell your doctor if you’re a marathon runner, or they will be very concerned when they take your pulse! Your resting heart rate can vary based on your stress, activity level, hormones, or medication, and your doctor can help with tips on improving it. Maximum heart rate is calculated by subtracting your age from 220. So, a 40-year-old would have a maximum heart rate of 180. Even then, you shouldn’t go beyond approximately 95% of your maximum heart rate — meaning you shouldn’t exceed a heart rate of 171. If you do, it means the exercise you’re doing is putting more strain on your heart than the potential benefit is worth.
you should aim for when performing moderate to intense exercise, and it’s how your fitness tracker is most helpful. You can use the tracker to determine if you’re exercising hard enough, and many will also alert you once you’ve hit your target heart rate zone. Finally, while fitness trackers can be helpful, it’s important to remember that they’re not medical devices. If your heart rate is abnormally high or low, it’s not necessarily indicative of a problem — but you should mention it to your doctor for safety’s sake. Additionally, different fitness trackers calculate your heart rate with different formulas. So, if you switch and notice a change in your heart rate, rest assured that you didn’t magically become less (or, unfortunately, more) healthy overnight.
Finally, your target heart rate reflects 50%–80% of your maximum heart rate. It is the range
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