Newsletter Date: November 5, 2009
Volume 8, Issue 4
April 25, 2013
Inside This Issue:
Maximize Social Security Benefits
1-2
Come Visit and Connect With Us
1
Brain Teaser
1
The Ill Effects of Medical Identity Theft
2
Happy Mother’s Day!/Quotes
2
APRIL ISSUE
Brain Teaser
Can you connect the nine dots using four straight
lines without lifting the pencil from the paper?
Maximize Social Security Benefits
by Comparing Both Spouses’
Accounts
Comparing the benefits will help in the decision of
when to start collecting, and whose account to collect on.
If both spouses have reached full retirement age,
consider having the spouse with the lower benefits
apply for Social Security benefits at full retirement
age (age 66 for people born 1943–1954) and have
the other spouse wait until age 70.
When a married individual applies for Social Security benefits before reaching full retirement age,
the SSA compares worker and spousal benefits and
awards the highest. However, once reaching full
retirement age, the individual can choose which
benefit to receive — his or her own, or 50% of the
spouse’s.
So, a married individual can elect to claim a
spousal benefit at age 66 and switch to his or her
own retired worker benefit at age 70. This allows
the worker to begin claiming one type of benefit
while still building up delayed retirement credits,
resulting in a higher worker benefit later.
When planning for maximum benefits for spouses,
consider the following:
Continued next page
Answer on next page
Come Visit And Connect With Us
www.MCampbellCPA.com
Visit our website regularly for the latest Tax Alerts
and other interesting tax related news items on the
‘Newsletter’ tab; helpful interactive financial tools
to assist with some of the day-to-day questions that
may arise on the ’Financial Tools’ tab; helpful resource links to the IRS, Veterans Administration
and other areas of interest or need on the ’Links’
tab.
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Call our office with any questions or comments on
our website. †
Volume 8, Issue 4
Page 2
Maximize Social Security.... continued from page 1
The Ill Effects... continued
 Certain strategies only work when the spouse has
However, you will have to order records from each
health care provider you use. There is no central
tracking system for medical records.
reached full retirement age;
 Differences in age and benefit amounts will affect the outcome of planning for married couples;
 Longevity will affect the total benefits received
by the spouses; and
 The result is generally best when the couple
draws on the lower earner first and the higher
earner waits until age 70 to collect.
Call our office with any questions. †
The Ill Effects of Medical Identity
Theft
The risks go beyond financial — this type of theft
could lead to improper medical treatment.
Identity thieves might not use stolen personal information just to open credit card accounts or file
fraudulent tax returns. Medical identity theft is the
use of stolen personal information to obtain medical
services or prescription drugs. In addition to potentially affecting the victim’s finances, it also could
leave a trail of medical misinformation on the victim’s records, such as incorrect blood type and nonexistent medical conditions.
In the event that there are fraudulent transactions
on your medical records:
 Contact the FTC to file a complaint at:
www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov;
 File a report with your local police department
and send copies of the report to your health
care providers as well as the three credit reporting companies; and
 Contact your health care plan regarding the
inaccurate information on your records. Under
HIPAA, they are obligated to amend the information.
Contact our office for more information.†
Answer to Brain Teaser:
You have to think outside
the box!
Warning signs that your information may have been
used by another person to obtain medical services
include:
 Bills for medical services you did not receive;
 Debt collection for services you did not receive;
 Your plan says you have reached your limit on
benefits when you try to make an insurance
claim; and
 You are denied insurance for a condition you
don’t have.
Quotes
If you believe that your medical records have been
compromised, you can order a copy of your medical
records to inspect them for services that were not
rendered to you.
“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your
heart go walking around outside your body.”
-Elizabeth Stone
Continued next column