How to avoid costly mistakes, navigate Medicare, and maximize your retirement benefits. The 2026 edition walks you through claiming strategies, spousal and divorced spouse benefits, survivor benefits, and the earnings limit most retirees get wrong — before you have to decide anything.
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Definitely has great information, easy to read, well put together! Recommend for those ready to retire.
What readers preparing for retirement are saying
If your marriage lasted 10 years or more, there may be a divorced spouse benefit sitting on your record, worth up to 50% of your ex's benefit, based on their work history, not yours. It doesn't matter if they remarried. They'll never know you filed. The Playbook walks through exactly what you're entitled to, how to calculate it, and how to claim it before another month passes.
File after your full retirement age and the SSA may offer you a lump sum of back payments on the spot. It looks like a gift, but taking it pushes your filing date back and permanently reduces your monthly benefit. The book shows you how to run the math before you agree to anything, not after.
Claiming before full retirement age doesn't mean you have to stop working, but going over the annual earnings threshold can temporarily hold back part of your check. The Playbook breaks down what counts toward the limit, how the rule changes the year you hit full retirement age, and why the amount held back isn't lost, it's recalculated into higher payments later.
From when to file to what happens if your spouse passes away. Everything you need before you walk into that office.
When to file: 62, full retirement age, or 70, and what each choice actually costs or gains you over a lifetime. Covers how your benefit is calculated, why claiming early locks in a permanent reduction, and how to figure out your own break-even point instead of guessing.
What you're entitled to if you're married, or divorced after 10+ years, even if your ex has remarried and has no idea you filed. Walks through how spousal and divorced spouse benefits are calculated off your partner's or ex's record, and how to claim without touching their payments.
What happens to a spouse's or ex-spouse's benefit after they pass, who qualifies, and how much you may be entitled to. Written to cut through the confusion and long processing wait that catches most families off guard right when they can least deal with it.
How Medicare enrollment ties into your Social Security timeline, the windows that are easy to miss, and what happens if you're still working past 65. Breaks down the parts (A, B, D) in plain terms so you know what you actually need.
What income counts toward the annual limit and what doesn't, how the rule changes completely the year you hit full retirement age, and the detail most people never hear: money held back isn't lost, it's recalculated into higher future payments.
A step-by-step way to compare your claiming options side by side, so the decision is based on your actual numbers and household situation, not a rule of thumb. Built to be used before you file, not after.
Most guides either oversimplify or bury you in legal language. This one gives you the actual calculations and scenarios, not just theory.
Most guides either oversimplify or bury you in legal language. This one gives you the actual calculations and scenarios, not just theory.
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This Playbook
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Others
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Claiming, Medicare, spousal & survivor benefits
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Divorced spouse benefit explained in full
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Chapter summaries for quick reference
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Updated for 2026 rules
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Step-by-step calculations, not just theory
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Written in plain English
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The moment you file changes your monthly benefit for the rest of your life. This is the book that gets read cover to cover before that appointment, not after.
Every claiming decision, spousal rule, and Medicare deadline explained in plain English, so you make the call with the full picture in front of you.
Get Your Copy TodayEvery claiming decision, spousal rule, and Medicare deadline explained in plain English, so you make the call with the full picture in front of you.
Get Your Copy TodayYes, this is the updated 2026 edition, reflecting the current Social Security and Medicare rules.
Yes, there's a full section on how Medicare connects to your Social Security timeline and enrollment windows.
Not at all. Most readers say they wish they'd started learning this earlier. Understanding your options before you need them is exactly the point.
It's a physical paperback, shipped to your door.
Yes, we ship to many countries worldwide. Shipping availability and options will be shown at checkout.
Orders are processed within 1 to 2 business days.
For United States orders, delivery usually arrives within 4 to 6 business days after dispatch.
International orders generally arrive within 5 to 10 business days, though delivery times may vary depending on your location and local customs processing.
Once your order ships, you will receive a tracking number so you can follow the delivery progress.
You can reach our support team via email through our contact page, and we will respond as soon as possible.
Yes, there's a full section on how Medicare connects to your Social Security timeline and enrollment windows.
It's a physical paperback, shipped to your door.
Orders are processed within 1 to 2 business days.
For United States orders, delivery usually arrives within 4 to 6 business days after dispatch.
International orders generally arrive within 5 to 10 business days, though delivery times may vary depending on your location and local customs processing.
Once your order ships, you will receive a tracking number so you can follow the delivery progress.