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Ask Rusty – I’m on SS Disability; Should I Switch to Regular Social Security?
Dear Rusty: Should I take my Social Security now at age 62, or wait till I am 65? I’ve been collecting SS disability due to health issues and was curious if I should wait or claim my regular Social Security retirement benefits now. Signed: Disabled but Wondering Dear Disabled but Wondering: If you are now collecting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and you are still disabled, it would be a disadvantage to claim your SS retirement benefits at this time (age 62), or even at age 65. That’s because your SSDI benefit is the same as your full retirement age (FRA) amount, as calculated for you at the point you became disabled. Born after 1959, your FRA is age 67, but you are already receiving your FRA benefit while on SS disability even though you have not yet reached your full retirement age. That full SSDI benefit will automatically convert to become your SS retirement benefit when you reach your full retirement age.
Guilt
What is guilt? It is the feeling within a person’s conscience that they have failed to follow the instructions of someone else. Parents instruct small children not to play in the middle of a busy highway. Social rules and regulations help protect us from harm. Every child has a mind that can accept or reject the teaching of parents. As the child grows, they may seek to cover the guilt by pursuit of pleasures or relentless activities because when they stop and think the guilt could take hold. A person that confesses to be a Christian and has no guilt concerning the sins of this life should stop and examine their heart. God in dealing with a person’s guilt affirms, “Their sins and iniquities I remember no more.” What action should an individual take that would allow God to forgive the sins in this life. We must confess our sins unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says, “If we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ we will find forgiveness. Is it evident in your life that you are running from God through the neglect of church attendance, personal prayer, reading the bible and trusting God’s grace!
A Radical New Idea for College Football Playoffs
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . oops, wrong story. Sorry. But a long time ago I started this newspaper career in what was then called the toy department. No, I didn’t work for Frederick August Otto Schwarz (how cool would that have been!). It’s what we used to call the gathering of scribes, pundits and sometimes derelicts in a room behind the frosted glass door with SPORTS stenciled across it at your friendly neighborhood newspaper. It was usually well off the main newsroom because, well, the main news types didn’t consider us real journalists . . . hence the toy department moniker.
Four Big Moves from the Lege in 2025
The Texas Legislature made a host of major decisions in 2025, as The Dallas Morning News reported. Here are the highlights: - Homeowners received a break on their property taxes after approving a proposed constitutional amendment in November. The homestead exemption was increased to $140,000 from $100,000. People 65 and older were given an additional $60,000 exemption on top of that.