Social Security is a program that almost all Americans are going to take advantage of at some point in their life. Because of this, you may be thinking the program is user friendly. Unfortunately you would be wrong.

Social security is a pretty complicated process that can be very difficult to understand. Making mistakes when filing can end up costing you money in the long run as your benefits may be reduced or you may not be taking full advantage of the benefits available to you.

Avoid Asking Family and Friends for Help

Family and friends often have lots of advice to offer when the topic of Social Security benefits come up. The problem is unless they work for the Social Security administration or are elder law attorneys, they probably don’t have a full grasp of the program and what it can offer you. While family and friends mean well they may not be in the best place to offer advice or knowledge. It is best to take their wisdom with the good intent that it is offered in, but to verify the truth of it before acting on the advice. It may end up costing you in the long run.

Be Careful of Online Research

There are plenty of websites that want to offer you advice about your Social Security benefits. The problem is that they can’t possibly know your exact situation, so they may not offer the correct advice. Also realize that there are some programs that can differ from state to state, which means that the advice doesn’t apply where you live.

Websites are a great place to start your research but for the best answers and advice on Social Security benefits you should contact the experts at Stano Law group.