Simple and Smart Update

Tom Margenau
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 23:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Readers are always asking me if I could recommend a good book about Social Security. I always steer them to the best book out there. It's called "Social Security Simple and Smart — 10 easy-to-understand fact sheets that will answer all your questions about Social Security." And it just happens to be written by yours truly!

I bring this up today because the (slightly delayed) 2026 version of the book is now available. I redo the book every year to incorporate the latest numbers that are updated by law annually. For example, when I talk about the earnings penalty that applies to Social Security beneficiaries under their full retirement age who are still working, the 2025 edition of the book says the earnings limit is $23,400 and the 2026 edition says the earnings limit is now $24,480. There are about a dozen of these kinds of number changes that I update every year.

I also re-read the book each year and, always finding some rules or other issues that I could have explained more clearly, I update those sections accordingly. This year, I had to totally re-write the section on government employees and Social Security because of the recently-passed "Fairness Act." I also slightly expanded the section on Medicare, although as I always point out, I'm a Social Security expert but not much of a Medicare expert.
Updated: Wed Mar 11, 2026

Readers are always asking me if I could recommend a good book about Social Security. I always steer them to the best book out there. It's called "Social Security Simple and Smart — 10 easy-to-understand fact sheets that will answer all your questions about Social Security." And it just happens to be written by yours truly!

I bring this up today because the (slightly delayed) 2026 version of the book is now available. I redo the book every year to incorporate the latest numbers that are updated by law annually. For example, when I talk about the earnings penalty that applies to Social Security beneficiaries under their full retirement age who are still working, the 2025 edition of the book says the earnings limit is $23,400 and the 2026 edition says the earnings limit is now $24,480. There are about a dozen of these kinds of number changes that I update every year.

I also re-read the book each year and, always finding some rules or other issues that I could have explained more clearly, I update those sections accordingly. This year, I had to totally re-write the section on government employees and Social Security because of the recently-passed "Fairness Act." I also slightly expanded the section on Medicare, although as I always point out, I'm a Social Security expert but not much of a Medicare expert.

If you are wondering why the subtitle of the book refers to "fact sheets," it's because in the past, I used to have a series of fact sheets I would send to the readers of this column. Each of those fact sheets covered a major part of Social Security. Because I would often get the same questions over and over again emailed to me by the readers, instead of "reinventing the wheel" by answering those questions each time, I would simply say, "Read the attached fact sheet and it should answer all your questions." And I eventually decided to simply incorporate those fact sheets into one book. So anyway, here is a rundown of what's in that book.

It begins with a section that debunks the top ten myths about Social Security. Interestingly, I start out that section saying, "I could write a book called 'The top 100 Social Security Myths." And guess what? I have. That book is called "Social Security - 100 Myths and 100 Facts." After the myth section of the book, we get to the fact sheets.

Fact Sheet No. 1 is called "Social Security Basics." It provides an introduction to the Social Security program.

Fact Sheet No. 2 is called "Myths and Facts about Social Security Financing." There are just so darn many rumors and myths floating around on the Internet about how Social Security works and is financed. This fact sheet tackles all those silly and misleading myths and sets the record straight. It also includes a section that discusses

serious and workable proposals for Social Security reform.

Fact Sheet No. 3 is the most popular. It is called "When to take your Social Security benefits." It clarifies all the rules associated with retirement benefit eligibility and explains the mechanics of applying for benefits.

Fact Sheet No. 4 is called "Working after retirement and the earnings penalty." This chapter explains the convoluted rules that apply to Social Security recipients who are under their full retirement age but still working.

Fact Sheet No. 5 is the second most popular part of the book. It is called "A woman's guide to Social Security." It explains the benefits a woman might be due on a husband's, or ex-husband's, Social Security record. It also explains the benefits available to widows and divorced widows. (By the way, the same rules apply to husbands and widowers.)

Fact Sheet No. 6, called "Benefits for children," explains benefits available for the children of retirees or for the children of people getting disability benefits. Survivor benefits for the children of a deceased parent are also discussed.

Fact Sheet No. 7 is called "Disability benefits from Social Security." It clarifies everything you need to know about the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs. It includes a section with tips for getting your disability claim approved. It also includes information for disabled senior citizens.

Fact Sheet No. 8 is called "Social Security and Public Employees." This is the rewritten section I talked about earlier in this column. It provides information about the recently passed Social Security Fairness Act that increased Social Security benefits for those public employees who spent most of their careers working at government jobs not covered by Social Security.

Fact Sheet No. 9, called "When Social Security says you owe them money," was written for anyone who has received an overpayment letter from the Social Security Administration.

Fact Sheet No. 10 is called "Working after your Social Security checks start: will your additional income increase your Social Security check?" And this fact sheet answers that question.

And finally, there are two bonus fact sheets at the end of the book: "What to do when someone getting a Social Security check dies," And "A Quick Medicare Overview."

And as long as I'm shamelessly promoting my two Social Security books, let me mention some other books I've written — even though they have nothing to do with Social Security. My readers may be surprised to learn that I'm not just a boring old former government employee who writes columns and books about Social Security. I'm also a grandpa who writes stories for his grandchildren. And I just turned several of those stories into published children's books. One is a cute little story called "A House Made out of Shells." Here's the opening stanza to the book: "Emily lived by the sea in a house made out of shells. And when a breeze blew off the seas, they tinkled like little bells."

And then there is "Molly's Magic Laces" about a girl who likes to run. But when she straps on her magic shoelaces, she ends up running to far-flung places around the world. "Elliot Fixes Things" is about a young boy who, like his dad, can fix almost anything. And finally, "Lucy's Really Big Horse Ranch" is about a little girl who loves horses and ends up having the biggest horse ranch in the world. If you have a child, grandchild, niece or nephew, I think they will really love any of these little books.

All the books I mentioned in today's column are available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If you are ordering the Simple and Smart book on Amazon, and the 2026 edition does not show up when you first click on it, then look for the link that says "See all formats and editions," and you will find the 2026 edition there.