The Social Security Money Code Book
Why people keep it on the shelf
- The claiming age, decided on purpose, not defaulted to whenever you happen to stop working
- Medicare deadlines you can actually see coming, before a missed window adds a penalty for life
- Spousal and survivor benefits spelled out, the ones households miss every year because nobody mentioned them
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I had gone back and forth about filing early for over a year. It laid out the trade-offs for our situation, not just in general. My husband read it after me and we finally agreed on a plan.
Product information
Every decision that changes what you receive, in plain English:
- When to claim, and how to find the right age for your situation instead of following generic rules
- Medicare enrollment windows, the deadlines, and the penalties for missing them
- IRMAA: how a higher-income year can raise your Medicare premiums
- How your benefit is taxed, and the income moves that help you keep more
- How working before full retirement age affects your check
- Required withdrawals (RMDs) and coordinating your retirement accounts
- Spousal, survivor and divorced-spouse benefits that households often miss
- You're within about 20 years of retirement and want to plan before you file
- You already collect benefits and want to check you're getting everything you're owed
- Medicare dates and rules feel confusing
- You're helping a parent or spouse make these decisions
- Format
- Paperback, 6 x 9 inches
- Edition
- 2026, written around this year's rules, thresholds and deadlines
- Layout
- Easy to read type, clear headings, room for notes
- Delivery
- A physical book shipped to your door, not an ebook or a PDF
Most people get through it over a weekend or a few evenings, then keep it as a reference. Start with the decision that's closest for you and work outward from there.
It assumes no prior knowledge. Every term is explained the first time it appears.
This is a general guide, not financial or legal advice, and it doesn't replace an advisor. Your situation and the current rules decide what's right for you.
Some figures change every year, so the book tells you which ones and where to check them. Some readers use it to make the call themselves, others to walk into a meeting already knowing what to ask.
- Shipping
- Free on US orders over $50, so any two books ship free. Under that, a flat $4.93
- Dispatch
- 1 to 2 business days, tracking emailed as soon as it leaves us
- Packaging
- A rigid book mailer, so it arrives flat
- Returns
- 30 days from delivery, in resalable condition
- Damaged?
- Send a photo within 48 hours and we replace it at no cost
- Questions
- hello@plainsightpress.co
Six decisions that set your retirement income. Some you only get one shot at.
Nobody sits you down and explains these. The book does, in plain English and in the order you'll actually face them, so you can decide with the full picture instead of a guess.
Claiming at 62, 67 or 70 changes your check for the rest of your life. Work out which age fits your health, your savings and your spouse instead of following generic advice.
Miss your sign-up window and a late penalty can be added to your Part B premium for as long as you have it. The dates can be known in advance, and the book shows you how to find yours.
Spousal, survivor and divorced-spouse benefits are often never claimed, usually because people don't know they qualify. See which ones apply to you and when to file for them.
Part of your benefit can be taxed depending on your other income. Learn how it's calculated and the income moves that can help you keep more of every check.
Earn over the limit while collecting early and part of your check is held back. Know how the earnings test works before you claim, not after the letter arrives.
Required withdrawals from retirement accounts and a high-income year can raise both your taxes and your Medicare premiums. Plan them so your savings and your benefit work together.
Your claiming age, your Medicare dates, your spouse's options and your taxes all affect each other. This book walks through them together, so one decision doesn't quietly undo another.
The Social Security Money Code, 2026 edition. A general guide, not financial or legal advice. Your own situation and the current rules decide what's right for you.
Get your copyFour numbers that shape every check you'll ever get
These aren't opinions. They're how Social Security and Medicare are built, and most of them are locked in by a decision you make on one day.
Example for someone born in 1960 or later whose full benefit at 67 is $2,000 a month. Before cost-of-living increases. Your own amounts depend on your earnings record.
Based on current Social Security and Medicare rules. Exact amounts depend on your birth year, earnings record and income. The book shows you how to work out your own numbers.
Every big Social Security and Medicare decision, in one book
Grouped the way you'll actually face them: when to claim, getting Medicare right, finding everything your household is owed, and keeping more of it once the checks start.
When to claim
- What your full retirement age really is
- Claiming at 62, at full age or at 70, and what each one costs or pays
- The filing deadlines and decisions people most often miss
"Should I claim now or wait?"
"What if I claimed early and regret it?"
Getting Medicare right
- Your enrollment windows and the exact dates that matter
- Late penalties, and how to avoid them
- IRMAA: why a high-income year can raise your premiums
"I'm still working at 65. Do I need Part B?"
"Why did my Medicare premium go up?"
Everything your household is owed
- Spousal benefits, in plain terms
- Survivor benefits and when to switch
- Divorced-spouse benefits after a marriage of 10 years or more
"Can I claim on my spouse's record?"
"My ex-husband is retired. Am I owed anything?"
Keeping more of every check
- How your benefit is taxed, and what changes it
- Working while collecting and the earnings limit
- Required withdrawals and coordinating your retirement accounts
"Why am I paying tax on my Social Security?"
"Will my part-time job reduce my check?"
What readers say
I phoned the SSA three separate times and got a different answer each time. This gave me one, and more to the point it explained why. Filed in April and I am not second guessing it.
Wayne H., 66Springfield, MO · Filed last spring
Bought it for the claiming decision. The Medicare part is what actually saved me. I was still on my wife's employer plan and had no idea there was a deadline tied to that. Would have been paying extra every month for the rest of my life.
Curtis B., 64Marietta, GA · Enrolling this year
My husband and I had been disagreeing about this for two years. He wanted 62, I wanted to wait. We each read it and it turned out we were both half right, it just depended on who filed first. Sorted over one weekend.
Diane K., 63Cedar Rapids, IA · Filing next year
Got it to help Mom sort out her survivor benefit after Dad passed away. I only meant to skim the one chapter. I am twenty years off retiring myself and there was plenty in there I did not know either.
Sharon P., 47Bend, OR · Helping a parent