By Beau Henderson, with Marc Kiner
The step-by-step path to your Social Security decision.
If you are within a few years of filing, this is the plain-language guide to getting the decision right the first time. It covers when to claim, how spousal and survivor benefits work together for your household, what the earnings test costs you if you keep working, and where the IRS takes a second bite out of your benefit.
The digital edition is being finalized. You will get it by email the day it is ready, and nothing you did not ask for.
Prefer to hold it? Buy the hardcover on Amazon
Beau Henderson, Wall Street Journal best-selling author
When to File, in one picture
What your claiming age does to your check
Who it's for
Written for the people
who only get to file once.
You're within 5 years of filing
And you don't want to leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table because of a rule no one explained.
You're already collecting
The decision is made, but you want to confirm the setup, plan for survivor benefits, and avoid the tax-torpedo years.
You advise people who are about to file
Advisors and CPAs use this book as a working reference, complete with tables, scenarios, and a household checklist.
Inside the Book
Every meaningful decision, in the order you'll face it.
Each chapter is a short, focused look at one decision, what the rule says, where households lose money, and a one-page worksheet to pin down your answer.
- 01
When to File
The breakeven math in plain language, no calculator required.
- 02
Spousal & Survivor
How the two benefits stack, conflict, and compound.
- 03
Working in Retirement
What the earnings test actually costs, and when it gives it back.
- 04
Taxes on Benefits
Where the IRS shows up for a second bite, and how to soften it.
- 05
The Fairness Act
What changed in 2025 for teachers, firefighters, and public employees.
- 06
Your Decision Tree
One clear path through the rules, for your exact household.
"Most people don't lose Social Security money to bad luck. They lose it to a form they signed before they knew what it meant."
About the Authors
One author was named the 2020 National Social Security Advisor of the Year. The other co-founded the NSSA that grants the title.
Beau Henderson is the founder of RichLife Advisors, the host of The RichLife Retirement Show, and the author of books on both the financial and the human side of retirement. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CNBC. Marc Kiner is a co-founder of the National Social Security Association.
After more than 4,000 households, one pattern is impossible to miss: the families who file well start with the rules, not the rumors. Beau and Marc wrote Social Security Clarity so your household can do the same.