Strategies to Optimize Social Security Benefits: Determining Retirement Age, Spousal Benefits, and Medicare Basics
Recording of a 110-minute CPE webinar with Q&A
This course will discuss Social Security strategies and considerations for individuals approaching retirement age and the basics on how Medicare works. Our panel of experts, Faye Sykes NSSA with Social Security Benefit Planners, and Anna Kindley, NSSA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP with Scarlet Oak Financial Services, will discuss how the Social Security works and tips on how to know when your clients may need additional assistance or may be missing out on benefits.
Outline
- Social Security: an overview
- Why waiting matters
- Getting to the right answers
- Focus on family dynamics
- Medicare overview
Benefits
The panel will review these and other important issues:
- How to maximize Social Security retirement income?
- Why the age you elect to take Social Security and how much you paid in matters?
- How best to earn credits and ensure eligibility for Social Security
- What considerations are there if I have or had a spouse?
- What do grandparents raising grandchildren full-time need to know?
Faculty

Faye Sykes
CEO, Independent Advisor
Social Security Benefit Planners
Ms. Sykes' passion is educating and helping individuals and business owners design workable financial solutions. As... | Read More
Ms. Sykes' passion is educating and helping individuals and business owners design workable financial solutions. As an IAR Investment Advisor Representative, she is a fiduciary for her clients and works on a fee-based or fee-only basis that keeps it transparent and simple for her clients. After Ms. Sykes' mother lost her battle with cancer in 2006, she found that retirement planning is a lot more than just investing and earned her Certified Long Term Care Designation and has tirelessly learned as much as she can about Social Security and ways to help her clients maximize their options.
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Margaret O'Brien
Health Insurance Consultant
Zentripy Global Insurance
Ms. O'Brien is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist with over 25 years' experience in the health insurance... | Read More
Ms. O'Brien is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist with over 25 years' experience in the health insurance market, including 7 years focused on Medicare. She works as a trusted advisor to her clients and their families, educating them on all the parts of Medicare, the key decisions that need to be made, and the deadlines and consequences of each of these decisions. Ms. O'Brien is an independent agent so she is able to objectively review all available plans and help her clients find the right plan based on their particular circumstances. She has received high-praise from her clients in simplifying the abundance of information about Medicare and making them feel comfortable that they made the right choices for their own Medicare needs. Ms. O'Brien has a BBA in Marketing from St. Mary's University and an MBA from Georgia Insititute of Technology.
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CPE credit is not available on downloads.
CPE On-Demand