New · Thomas D. Clark
Social Security Decisions Made Simple
The plain-English guide to when to claim, how to maximize spousal and survivor benefits, and the costly mistakes to avoid.
Available on Amazon · Kindle & paperback · free companion calculator →
What's inside
The handful of choices that actually move the decision.
It skips the 400-page textbook and focuses on what changes the size of your check — explained in plain English, with this year's numbers.
When to claim
How the decision really works — beyond the “breakeven age” rule of thumb most people stop at.
Spousal benefits
Coordinating as a couple so you get the most out of the same earnings record.
Survivor benefits
Protecting the spouse who's left behind — a choice that's easiest to get right early.
Working & taxes
The earnings test if you claim and keep working, and how benefits get taxed.
The costly mistakes
The hard-to-undo missteps people make at the SSA window — and how to sidestep them.
Current 2026 figures
So the numbers you plan around are this year's real ones, not a stale example.
Why this book
You get one shot at most Social Security decisions. This book helps you get them right.
It cuts through the 400-page textbooks and focuses on the handful of choices that actually matter — when to claim, coordinating with a spouse, protecting the survivor, working and taxes — explained in plain English with current 2026 figures.
It even comes with a free companion calculator so you can run your own numbers in minutes.
Free companion tool
Run your own claiming numbers — free.
The book pairs with a free calculator so you can see what claiming early, at full retirement age, or waiting until 70 is really worth in your case.
Read first
Free Social Security articles
Where to start
Start free. Go as deep as you want.
Four ways to get your Social Security and retirement decisions right — beginning with the free guide and the free calculator, all the way to the book and the binder.
The free Social Security guide
The claiming questions most people get wrong — answered in plain English, with the numbers that actually move the decision.
Download it free→The Social Security calculator
Run your own claiming scenarios in minutes and see what waiting — or filing early — is really worth to you.
Open the calculator→Social Security Decisions Made Simple
Every claiming decision that matters — spousal, survivor, taxes, the earnings test — in one plain-English place, with current 2026 figures.
See the book→The Just in Case Binder
The printable that lets your spouse find every account, policy, and password — without guessing — when it matters most.
See the binder→