Meanwhile, more Baltimoreans feared for their future with Social Security. It provides clear data points, like projected benefits at age 62, 66 and 70. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. For many, that’s the optimal plan. Vermont Alliance for Retired Americans members are most grateful for these programs that keep many Americans from scraping the bottom of the barrel financially, particularly in these very hard economic times. Americans seem aware that Social Security should be only one component of their overall retirement financial plan.

“The more time that they take, the less acceptable the changes will be because there needs to be adequate time for the public to prepare and to adjust to whatever changes Congress will make”, Carolyn Colvin, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, said in an interview.

But there’s also another dimension: You must be engaged in what Social Security calls a “trade or business”.

People are living longer than when Social Security was established. It is typically easier to face short-term issues than it is to attempt to fix those that are more long term. Cutting the Social Security benefits we earn would only serve to push millions of seniors into poverty. Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee both took a strident stand against benefit cuts – but offered no way to shore up the program. Actually, your “full retirement age”, that is, the age at which you can draw your full Social Security benefits, depends on the year you were born.

So it isn’t just that the money was never there to pay you in full on the back end, but when other people choose to collect smaller payments early, and you don’t – then there is less money that is left for you when you eventually do collect.

But at some point the game of shuffling money around doesn’t work. Meanwhile, 166 million workers had earnings covered by Social Security. While they are most likely to express doubts about Social Security’s solvency, they are the least likely to say that the system is in crisis.

In addition to the survey, the AARP Bulletin has stories this month about Social Security’s history, its future, and what it’s doing for Americans today.

If you haven’t already, you can easily sign up for a personal Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. A memorable spot on the timeline is November 2, 2000, the date when we started taking retirement claims online. In 2013, the number of wage and salary contributors to Social Security (a different category from those who are self-employed, though their earnings are also taxed for Social Security) was virtually the same as in 2007, and one expert predicted that it had probably continued to go up in 2014 and 2015. Now more than ever, as an increasing number of workers approach retirement, we cannot afford to jeopardize the stability it provides millions of families.

Based on age, survivors benefits can start as early as age 60 and retirement at age 62.

“I can understand why you’d think that was unfair”, the former U.S. senator and secretary of state said, before suggesting an increase in the limit. “When you tell people that, people are shocked and surprised”. But let’s get real. This is because at your death, your spouse gets to take over your SS if it’s higher than her (or his) own benefit.

Presidential candidates sound off on Social Security This dilemma for the Social Security program has been well documented, but few viable solutions have emerged from lawmakers in recent years. As long as you’ve earned enough Social Security credits (available on your SS statement), you are eligible for Medicare whether or not you are ready to begin receiving your retirement benefits.

“When to retire is not really seen as a key decision in your retirement finances”, he said. Whichever method you feel most comfortable using, your application will be reviewed and processed as soon as all necessary documentation and information is received.