Most clients qualify for Social Security benefits. Join expert, Theodore Sarenski, CPA/PFS, CFP, AEP, as he goes through how your clients apply for these benefits and what the optimum time to begin the benefits are.
Publication Date: May 2019
Designed For
Any professional who is advising individual clients should attend this session as well as all of the series of the Social Security sessions to properly advise your clients on Social Security, the backbone of each person’s retirement.
Topics Covered
- How to apply for Social Security benefits online or in person
- Does one begin benefits at age 62, Full Retirement Age (FRA) or age 70?
- How do Social Security benefits fit in with other assets your client may have or not have
Learning Objectives
- Identify how to assist your clients in applying for Social Security benefits
- Recognize how to advise your clients on the best option to begin benefits for their personal and unique situation
- Recognize and apply the complexities of couple planning for Social Security Benefits
- Describe how many months prior to your 62nd birthday you can apply online for benefits
- Describe the final year people born in 1953 can take advantage of restricted application for spousal benefits only
- Identify options for a widow or widower
- Recognize how many months it normally takes to begin receiving benefits after an application is made
- Identify exceptions when a person would not need to take the higher of their own benefit or ½ of their spouse's benefit when applying for Social Security retirement benefits
Level
Basic
Instructional Method
Self-Study
NASBA Field of Study
Specialized Knowledge and Applications (1 hour)
Program Prerequisites
None
Advance Preparation
None
Instructor
Theodore Sarenski
Ted, CPA/PFS, CFP, AEP, is recognized locally and nationally as an expert providing financial planning advice. He currently appears on WSTM-3, Syracuse’s NBC affiliate, taking viewers’ calls and offering planning concepts to viewers. Ted appeared on the PBS affiliate in Syracuse as a permanent guest host of the program “Financial Fitness” which aired live for one-half hour every Thursday at 8 PM EST.
Ted received the 2013 Distinguished Service Award by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Personal Financial Planning Division for contributions to further financial planning within the CPA community, industry-related publications and speaking engagements across the country. He received the Sidney Kess Award for Excellence in Continuing Education from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) at the ENGAGE conference in June 2018.
Ted has presented to regional Estate Planning Councils from Seattle to Syracuse on financial planning topics and Social Security. He has been interviewed by hundreds of radio stations across the U.S. on tax and financial planning topics since 2005. Ted also speaks on financial planning topics at major professional national conferences for organizations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Financial Planning Association, and for private groups.
Ted authored articles on financial planning that have appeared in The Journal of Accountancy, The CPA Journal, The Journal of Taxation and the AICPA Wealth Management Insider. He authored a CPAs Guide to Social Security for the American Institute of CPAs in 2011, and is responsible for its update annually. He has been interviewed and quoted in many publications including: USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, The Christian Science Monitor, Investment News, Kiplinger Personal Finance Report, Financial Planning Magazine (cover photo February 2013), Accounting Today and The Practical Accountant.