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Maximize your lifetime Social Security benefits and avoid costly claiming mistakes.
Coordinate Social Security, Medicare, and your retirement accounts like a pro.
Unlock overlooked spousal, survivor, and divorced-spouse benefits you may be entitled to.
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If you're not satisfied with your purchase, contact us within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. No questions asked — we want you to feel confident in your decision.
It's laid out by situation, so you go straight to the chapter that matches your life and find:
Still working after claiming at 62? Most retirees don't realize withheld benefits aren't gone — Social Security credits them right back at full retirement age with a bigger check for life. Inside, you'll learn exactly which income counts, which doesn't, and how to stop losing sleep over a rule most people misunderstand.
Claim at 62 and you could cap out around $2,900/month. Wait until 70, and that same paycheck can climb past $5,000. This book breaks down the exact age-and-spousal strategy that decides whether your family collects thousands more — or thousands less — every single month for the rest of your life.
You spent 40 years funding this system — now it's time to collect what's actually yours. Learn how divorced spouses can claim off an ex's record, uncover the Medicare secrets nobody explains, and make sure Uncle Sam's hands stay off the check you earned.
"As someone who advises U.S. healthcare organizations on Medicare policy, I found the book especially strong when it connects claiming age with household benefits, taxes, and Medicare costs."
"The Social Security Money Code takes a complex and often confusing subject and explains it in a practical, easy-to-understand way."
"Even after 35 years as a CPA specializing in retirement taxation, I still found a wealth of valuable insights here."
"Rather than treating Social Security as an isolated decision, Monroe shows how claiming strategies can affect taxes, spousal benefits, and Medicare premiums."
Thought I'd bought it too late since I filed four years ago. Wrong. The tax section alone changed how I take money out of my accounts, and I found a medicare thing I'd been overpaying on. STILL worth it.
Gary T.
I've read government pages and watched videos and always came away more confused than when I started. This is the first thing that just tells you what you need to know without making you feel STUPID for asking.
Karen M.
I was three weeks filing at 62 because that's just what my brother did. Read the timing chapter and pushed it back. That one decision is worth THOUSANDS to us over the years and I nearly gave it away without second thought.
Dennis W.
There's a lot of information packed into the book, and I found myself taking notes as I went. Several of the strategies and considerations gave me ideas for topics I want to research further.
Brian Fisher
Before reading this, I mostly thought about retirement in terms of savings. The book helped me think more broadly about income, taxes, healthcare, and the different decisions that can influence the retirement years.
Linda & Tom R.
Got this for my mum because she kept asking me things I couldn't answer. Ended up sat at her kitchen table going through the whole thing with her. she's sorted now, and honestly I've filed half of it away for my own retirement.
Claire M.
I paid into this system since I was 19 and not one person ever explained how any of it worked. Not my employer, not the office, nobody. Read this in two evenings and understood more than I had in four DECADES.
Robert K.
My husband earned a lot more than me and I just assumed I'd get my own cheque and that was that. Turns out there was money there the whole time. We've been married 31 years and NOBODY told us.
Patricia L.
The combination of Medicare and retirement planning was particularly useful. Healthcare decisions can be confusing, so I appreciated having that information included alongside the financial planning material.
Hannah Lewis
I've been researching retirement planning from several sources, and this book helped bring many of those ideas together. It gave me a clearer framework for understanding the different pieces of the process.
Amelia Davis
Frequently Asked Questions
A plain-English guide to the decisions that shape your retirement income: when to claim, which benefits your household qualifies for, and how taxes and Medicare costs can shrink your check. It was written by Garrett Monroe, and Corravel publishes and ships it.
No. The book assumes you’re starting from zero. Each rule is explained in the order you’ll need it, with no jargon and no spreadsheets.
No. It’s an educational guide, not individual financial, tax or legal advice. It teaches you how the rules work so you can make better-informed decisions, and so you know what to ask a professional if you decide to speak to one.
Not at all. When you claim is only one of the decisions covered. The chapters on taxes, Medicare and which accounts to draw from first still apply to the benefits you’re receiving now, and the household and survivor sections may be relevant too.
The 2026 Edition is written around the rules and figures in effect for 2026. Social Security and Medicare numbers change from year to year, so for anything time-sensitive we always recommend double-checking ssa.gov and medicare.gov.
People approaching retirement, people who are already collecting, and adult children helping a parent work through it. It covers readers who are married, single, widowed or divorced.
No. The book is organized by situation, so you can go straight to the chapter that matches your life, whether that’s claiming age, spousal or survivor benefits, taxes or Medicare.
It changes what you know before you decide, and those decisions are what set your numbers. When you claim, how your benefits are taxed and how Medicare costs apply all shape what lands in your account each month, so understanding the rules first puts you in a better position to choose.
We order copies in limited quantities, so availability can change between restocks. If you see it in stock, we recommend ordering while it’s available.
Every purchase is backed by a 30-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.
