Social Security – The Simply Retirement Podcast

10 Retirement Websites Every Woman Should Bookmark (Ep. 128)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | October 28, 2026

Social Security, Medicare, old retirement accounts, long-term care, and even your credit report can all raise questions as retirement gets closer. Knowing where to find reliable information can make those decisions feel much more manageable.

In this episode, I share 10 websites I believe every woman should bookmark for retirement planning. I explain where to review Social Security records, understand Medicare, search for forgotten retirement accounts and unclaimed property, research long-term care and caregiving resources, check a financial professional’s background, and review your credit reports. My goal is to help you gather useful information, spot anything that may need attention, and ask better questions before making important retirement decisions.

Key points:

How to review your Social Security earnings record, benefit estimates, and other important account information
Where to learn about Medicare coverage, enrollment, costs, and free local health insurance counseling resources
How to search for forgotten 401(k)s, pensions, bank accounts, checks, insurance proceeds, and other property
Where to find caregiving and long-term care resources and understand services that may be available locally
How to check financial professionals and credit reports for disclosures, errors, unfamiliar accounts, or concerns
And more!

Resources:

Websites:

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What Women Are Telling Us About Retirement: Their Goals and What Keeps Them Up at Night (Ep. 127)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | October 21, 2026

Retirement can bring a surprising mix of excitement and uncertainty.

Having enough money matters, but so do the questions about health, purpose, family, taxes, and whether you’re making decisions you’ll feel comfortable living with.

In this episode, I share what women in the Simply Retirement Community told me about their biggest retirement goals and worries. I walk through themes including financial independence, travel, health, Social Security, Medicare, taxes, and investment decisions. I also explain why defining what you want retirement to look like can help you ask better questions, evaluate your choices, and understand how the different pieces of your retirement plan fit together.

Key points:

How defining what you want your money to support can make the question of “enough” more personal and useful
Why travel, health, mobility, independence, family, purpose, and legacy shape retirement beyond the numbers
How Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, taxes, and long-term care create overlapping retirement decisions
Why understanding a financial recommendation includes asking what it costs, what you give up, and what could change
How education, good questions, and clear explanations can help you make decisions when retirement feels uncertain
And more!

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Social Security Rules Women May Not Know: Survivor Benefits, Retirement Age & Taxes (Ep. 124)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | September 30, 2026

Social Security rules can look straightforward until survivor benefits, retirement ages, taxes, and your personal history start overlapping.

Understanding where these rules came from can help you recognize which details deserve a closer look before you file.

In this episode, I look back at how Social Security has changed and why that history still affects women making retirement decisions today. I explain why some people have two different full retirement ages, how survivor and divorced-spouse benefits developed, and how rules around remarriage have changed. I also cover Social Security taxation, cost-of-living adjustments, and several numbers that haven’t kept pace with inflation.

Key points:

Why retirement and survivor benefits can have different full retirement ages for the same person
How survivor benefits developed and why a spouse’s filing age can affect the surviving spouse
Why a 10-year marriage remains an important threshold when considering benefits from an ex-spouse
How Social Security taxation thresholds have remained unchanged even as incomes and costs have risen
Why understanding today’s Social Security rules can help women make more informed retirement decisions
And more!

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Helping Women Make Better Retirement Decisions After Life Changes (Ep. 114)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | July 22, 2026

Retirement decisions often happen during life’s most emotional moments. When you’re grieving, retiring, or suddenly making financial choices on your own, how do you know you’re asking the right questions or talking to the right people?

In this episode, I share a story from a recent anniversary trip that reminded me why retirement planning is about much more than investments.

Through conversations with women facing divorce, widowhood, and retirement, I explain how decisions around Social Security, beneficiary designations, retirement accounts, taxes, and financial guidance are often connected in ways people don’t realize. We also talk about why every financial advisor approaches retirement differently, why asking the right questions matters, and how finding guidance that fits your situation can influence retirement for years to come.

Key takeaways:

Why retirement decisions made after losing a spouse deserve thoughtful guidance before taking action
How Social Security timing can affect lifetime retirement income and future financial flexibility
Why beneficiary designations and retirement accounts often create unexpected challenges for widows
How communication between financial and tax professionals can improve retirement decisions
Questions women should ask before choosing retirement guidance during major life transitions
And more!

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Retirement Tax Cliffs: The Hidden Costs Every Woman Should Understand (Ep. 112)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | July 8, 2026

Retirement taxes aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. A decision that looks harmless today could create unexpected tax consequences, higher Medicare premiums, or reduced flexibility later.

How do income sources, tax brackets, Social Security, and healthcare costs all work together in retirement? What happens when a major life event changes your filing status and reshapes your financial picture?

In this episode, I discuss several retirement tax cliffs that can quietly affect retirement income planning, especially for women who are widowed, divorced, or managing finances independently. I explain how required minimum distributions, Social Security taxation, Medicare IRMAA surcharges, and healthcare subsidies can interact in ways many retirees don’t anticipate. We also share planning considerations that may help create greater flexibility, reduce surprises, and improve long-term retirement income decisions.

Key takeaways:

How widowhood or divorce can trigger tax changes that affect income, Medicare costs, and planning flexibility
Why required minimum distributions may create ripple effects beyond simply increasing taxable income
How Social Security taxation can rise unexpectedly when additional retirement income enters the picture
Why Medicare IRMAA surcharges often surprise retirees years after a financial decision is made
Ways proactive tax planning may help create flexibility and reduce unintended retirement expenses
And more!

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Social Security Rules That No Longer Apply (Ep. 109)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | June 17, 2026

Outdated Social Security advice can create costly mistakes, especially when rules have changed, but old strategies are still being shared today.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I was told I could do this with Social Security”? What if that advice no longer applies and could affect your retirement income for years to come?

In this episode, I explain several Social Security filing strategies that used to work but no longer apply for many women today. I walk through common misunderstandings around ex-spousal benefits, deemed filing rules, restricted applications, and survivor benefits. I also clarify the important differences between rules for married spouses and divorced spouses, along with how filing early can reduce benefits.

Key takeaways:

Why outdated Social Security strategies can create costly retirement income mistakes today
How the deemed filing rules changed spousal and ex-spousal benefit claiming options
The difference between survivor benefits and spousal benefits after divorce or widowhood
Why filing before full retirement age can permanently reduce monthly benefits
How working before full retirement age may temporarily reduce Social Security income
And more!

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Understanding Your Social Security Statement and What It Really Means (Ep. 106)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | May 27, 2026

Your Social Security statement might look simple, but the details behind it can shape your entire retirement plan.

Are you only looking at the benefit numbers, or are you missing the bigger picture that could impact your future income?

In this episode, I walk through how to properly read your Social Security statement and what it is really telling you beyond just your projected benefits. I explain how eligibility works, what assumptions are built into the estimates, and why your earnings history matters more than most people realize.

We also cover how missing income years can affect your benefit, how to correct errors, and how continued work can change your outcome.

Key takeaways:

Why your Social Security statement shows more than just benefit estimates and what those details mean
How eligibility for retirement, disability, survivor benefits, and Medicare is determined
The impact of missing or incorrect earnings history and how it can reduce your future income
Why estimates assume continued earnings and how changes in work affect projections
How working longer can increase benefits by replacing lower-income years in your record
And more!

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Divorce, Identity, and Financial Clarity After 50 With Mardi Winder (Ep. 90)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | February 4, 2026

Divorce later in life is not just a legal event; it is an emotional and financial turning point that reshapes identity, confidence, and long-term planning.

In this episode, I sit down with Mardi Winder, a strategic divorce consultant and founder of Positive Communication Systems, to discuss what really happens before, during, and after a gray divorce.

We explore why so many women feel stuck in fear, how financial uncertainty can drive costly decisions, and why clarity must come before action. I also share how retirement planning and divorce strategy need to work together so women can move forward with confidence, not confusion.

Key Takeaways:

Why high-conflict divorces often create a loss of identity after the process ends
How fear around money keeps women stuck or leads to poor settlement decisions
Where strategic divorce coaching fits alongside legal and financial professionals
Why financial clarity should come before hiring attorneys
How early guidance can prevent costly mistakes in the first months of divorce
And more!

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About our Guest:

Mardi Winder is a Strategic Divorce Consultant and trusted authority for high-achieving individuals navigating separation and divorce. She is known for helping clients reduce the emotional and financial costs of the process by strengthening decision-making, communication, and conflict management during high-stakes transitions. With more than 30 years of experience, Mardi brings deep expertise in high-conflict, complex, and high-asset divorces. Her background spans mediation, executive and leadership coaching, conflict resolution and mediation, emotional intelligence, and strategic communication, allowing her to support clients in maintaining clarity, confidence, and control throughout divorce and beyond.

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The Truth Behind Social Security Increases and What They Mean for Your Retirement (Ep. 87)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | January 14, 2026

That annual Social Security increase announcement can be confusing.

Is it a bonus? Will it cover your rising costs? More importantly, how does it really affect your decisions about when to retire and when to claim your benefits?

In this episode, I unpack the new 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026. We explore how Social Security benefits grow differently before and after age 62, why the inflation measure might not match your personal expenses, and how your early work years still count. We provide clarity on how delaying your claim and continuing to work can increase your lifetime benefits, especially important for married couples planning for survivor income.

Key Points Covered:

The meaning behind the 2026 2.8% COLA and why personal inflation may be higher
How Social Security uses CPI-W, an inflation index for workers, which can undervalue senior expenses like healthcare
The role of wage indexing in growing your pre-retirement benefits and the “gap” from age 60 to 62
The powerful impact of delaying your filing age on your monthly benefit and future COLA dollar amounts
How working in your 50s, 60s, or 70s can replace low-earning years and permanently increase your benefit
And more!

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REPLAY: Social Security Fairness Act (Ep. 84)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | December 24, 2025

Many people nearing retirement are unsure how recent rule changes might affect what they can receive.

What happens when long-standing limits disappear, and families finally gain access to benefits they were denied for years?

In this special replay, we revisit one of our most crucial and widely discussed episodes of the year: the one focusing on the Social Security Fairness Act.

I walk through the details of the Social Security Fairness Act and highlight its significant impact, especially on survivor and spousal benefits for women across the country. I explain how removing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) could open new income opportunities. Additionally, I discuss what these potential changes mean for teachers and public sector workers, and the immediate steps listeners should consider taking now.

Key takeaways:

How eliminating WEP and GPO shifts eligibility for many women previously reduced or blocked from benefits
Why survivor and spousal payments may now be available even if pensions once prevented them
How timing, age, and filing strategies still influence benefit amounts
Action steps for reviewing statements, applying promptly, and preparing for retroactive payments
Why staying informed is essential as Social Security adjusts to this major policy change
And more!

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