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News from the Past in Memory of Harry A. Sturges

In Columns, Columns - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald
April 6, 2024
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Harry A. Sturges

News Herald – March 28, 1924 – F.E. Bleezarde, Publisher

Coeymans:

  • Thomas T. Briggs is in the Albany City Hospital where he underwent an operation for a hernia.
  • The first tow of the season brought a number of brick barges up from New York for the brick yards here on Monday night.
  • Rev. S.M. Cole, pastor of the Methodist Church, received four boys into church on probation at a recent Sunday evening service.
  • A new electric shovel has arrived at the freight house for the Roah Hook Brick Co., and will soon be in operation at the plant of the company north of this village. The shovel is of the caterpillar type.
  • The ladies of the Reformed Church will serve a supper in the chapel of the church on Wednesday evening next, between the afternoon and evening sessions of the Sunday School conference. The price will be 50 cents per plate, and the people of the community are invited.

Ravena:

  • C.H. Hallenbeck occupied the pulpit of the Christian Church at St. Johnsville on Sunday last.
  • The regular meeting of the Ravena Hose Company will take place on Tuesday evening next. All members are requested to be present.
  • Walter Whitbeck, whose foot was smashed while working at the Castleton cut-off bridge, was at the Albany City Hospital this week for treatment.
  • The Ravena High School girls’ basketball team went to Albany on Saturday and played the team representing Albany High School in the Y. W. C. A.  The Ravena team was defeated by a score of 24 and 20.
  • Mrs. F.E. Sherman had the misfortune to get a severe electric shock in her home on Tuesday, when she was about to demonstrate a vacuum cleaner to a friend who was calling.
  • Thomas Draper has erected a concrete block garage in the rear of his property on Central Avenue.

Coeymans Herald – March 28, 1889 – S.H. & E.J. Sherman, Proprietors

  • Quite an influx of new families in this village this spring.
  • Smoked sturgeon is in the market. It is said the fish are caught in California waters.
  • A band of gypsies, having in tow a tame bear, passed through this village yesterday, bound south.
  • The grounds around the Tobin House are being improved. Improvements are also being made to the building.
  • A boarding house is being built on the hill west of the yards for the accommodation of employees on the Browers brickyard.
  • Supervisor Vanderzee announces that the school monies due the several districts of this town may be drawn on presentation of properly certified orders at the office of H. Slingerland.
Related Posts

Social Security Matters: Why is Social Security withholding my monthly payments?

In Lifestyle, Lifestyle - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald
August 17, 2023
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By Russell Gloor

For Capital Region Independent Media

Dear Rusty:

I have been working since I started collecting Social Security when I turned 62. Last year I was apparently overpaid because of my job.

I made $37,000 and now the Social Security Administration says I owe them $8,800 because I made too much, and they have withheld my $2,000 monthly SS payment.

I am close to the maximum allowable again already this year. So, I am looking at quitting my job so I don’t go over, but they are holding my payments so then I would have no money.

Any help would be appreciated.

Signed: Frustrated by Social Security

Dear Frustrated:

You are being affected by Social Security’s “earnings test,” which applies to everyone who collects early Social Security and also works before reaching their full retirement age (FRA).

If your earned income exceeds the annual limit (which was $19,560 for 2022), Social Security will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you are over the limit. If you earned $37,000 in 2022 you were more than $17,000 over the limit and owe half of that back to Social Security. They usually recover what you owe by withholding your future benefit payments, so they won’t pay you benefits until they have recovered that $8,800, after which your benefits will resume — but only for a while.

If you are working full-time and also collecting early Social Security benefits, the earnings test lasts until you reach your full retirement age, which for you is 66 years and 8 months. The earnings limit goes up a bit each year – for 2023 it is $21,240 – but if you continue to work full-time, you’ll receive another overpayment notice and have more benefits withheld.

A better approach might be to contact Social Security in advance and tell them what your 2023 earnings are expected to be, thus permitting them to suspend your benefits in advance and avoid overpaying you.

I’m afraid there is no way around this – collecting early benefits while working full-time means the “earnings test” will affect your benefit payments.

The “good news” in all of this is that when you reach your full retirement age, you will get time-credit for all months your benefits were withheld. By that I mean they will, at your FRA, recalculate your benefit entitlement as though you had claimed later (later by the number of months you had benefits withheld), which will result in a higher monthly payment after your FRA. In that way, you may eventually recover some or all of the benefits withheld by receiving a higher monthly amount for the rest of your life, starting at your full retirement age.

I suggest you contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (or at your local office) and tell them you want to provide them with an estimate of your 2023 earnings because you are working and collecting early Social Security benefits. They will work with you to suspend your benefits for an appropriate number of (additional) months to avoid another overpayment situation.

Note, you’ll likely need to do this each year you continue to work full-time, until the year you reach your full retirement age when the earnings limit more than doubles. The earnings limit goes away when you reach your full retirement age. 

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Social Security Matters: How do Social Security survivor benefits work?

In Columns, Columns - Greenville, Lifestyle - Greenville, Lifestyle - Ravena, The Greenville Pioneer, The Ravena News Herald
October 27, 2022
0

By Russell Gloor

For Capital Region Independent Media

Dear Rusty:

Social Security is confusing in itself and gets even more confusing when you receive multiple answers to the same question from multiple sources. During my research I came across your organization, and I hope you can assist me in making educated choices regarding my Social Security benefits. 

My husband of 20-plus years passed away in 1998 and I have not remarried. I will be turning 65 next month (born in 1957), and my full retirement age is 66 years and six months. I work full-time, have not made any specific retirement plans, and my current gross salary is over $60,000.

So, my questions are: Can I collect any of my late husband’s Social Security? If yes, when, and how?

Signed: Confused Widow

Dear Confused Widow: From the facts you provided, you are eligible to collect a survivor benefit from your deceased husband, but because you are working full-time earning over $60,000, you will not be able to collect those benefits at this time. Here’s why: 

Social Security imposes an “earnings test” for anyone who collects benefits before reaching their full retirement age. The penalty for exceeding the earnings limit is $1 for every $2 you are over the limit (which is $19,560 for 2022). With $60,000 in earnings, you would be $40,440 over the limit, for which SS would impose a penalty of $20,220.

That essentially means that your survivor benefit would be entirely (or almost entirely) offset by the penalty for exceeding the earnings limit, leaving you unable to collect a survivor benefit at this time. The earnings test is in effect until you reach your full retirement age (FRA), after which your earnings will no longer affect your Social Security benefits. 

There are also other nuances you should know about. Claiming any SS benefit before reaching your FRA will result in a permanently reduced benefit. If claimed at your FRA, your survivor benefit would be 100% of the amount your husband was receiving (or entitled to) at his death, but claimed at age 65 your survivor benefit would be reduced to about 93% of his benefit entitlement.

Also, you will be eligible for your full widow’s benefit at 66 years and two months of age because — in your specific case — your “widow’s FRA” is less than your normal full retirement age. However, the earnings test previously described is still in effect until you reach your normal FRA of 66 years and six months.

In the year you reach your normal full retirement age, the earnings limit (for the months prior to reaching your FRA) increases by about 2.5 times. You’ll reach your normal FRA in February 2024, and at your current earnings level, wouldn’t exceed the higher earnings limit in 2024. That means the earnings test shouldn’t affect your SS benefits in 2024 at your current income level, so you could claim your full survivor benefit effective January 2024 without penalty. 

You will also have the option, if desired, to claim only your survivor benefit and permit your personally earned SS retirement benefit to grow. It would be wise to do that if your personally earned SS retirement benefit at maximum will be more than your maximum survivor benefit as a widow.

After reaching your FRA, your personal benefit will grow by 0.667% for each month you wait to claim it, up to age 70 when your own benefit would be 28% more than it would be at your normal FRA. So, you could collect your full survivor benefit at your normal FRA, continue to work if desired, and switch to your higher personal benefit at age 70 (and collect that for the rest of your life).

If you expect to achieve at least average longevity (about 87 for a woman your current age) and your own maximum benefit will be more than your benefit as a widow, that is an option you may wish to consider.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

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