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Social Security now accounts for between one half to two thirds of her total income.
She was surprised to learn that it wasnt as simple as just getting her money from Social Security.
Also here are two likely changes coming to Social Security in 2025.
That was my mistake when I started drawingSocial Security benefits.
I just entered the amount but didnt know I needed calculate the taxable amount.
Well, the IRS did that for me.
As a result, I got an adjustment from the IRS and a not-small (for me) bill.
Frustrated, she paid it, explaining, I am not a person who dodges taxes.
I believe in paying for the common good.
This should be mentioned over and over again.
In addition, it has made her reflect upon the egregious state of wages in the U.S.
It is shameful that we have not raised the [federal] U.S. minimum wage in 15 years.
Its still $7.25.
Nowhere in the U.S. can a minimum or underpaid worker manage this.
But as a country we allow it to continue.
It is emphatically not a matter of giving up an occasional coffee at Starbucks.
She has certainly tried, cutting corners wherever she can, but finding it to not be enough.
Like lots of low-wage people, I spend a disproportionate amount of my income on housing.
Medical care is exorbitant and out of control.
I cant fix it.
I would have stopped believing people would understand without it happening to them.
But during that time, my actual expenses went up far more than that.
Dont let anyone shame or blame you for the pivots you may need to make, she said.
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