Find all of the following, explained in plain-English: How your Social Security retirement benefits, spousal benefits, and widow/widower benefits are calculatedHow your benefits are affected if you have a government pension or if you continue working while claiming Social SecurityHow to decide when is the best age for you (and your spouse, if you're married) to claim Social Security in order to get the most out of your benefitsWhether or not it makes sense to take Social Security early in order to invest the moneyHow to check your earnings record on the Social Security Administration's website to make sure you're getting the full benefit you deserveHow Social Security benefits are taxed and how this affects retirement tax planningPlease note that this book does not cover Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).