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Savvy Senior: How to Handle Social Security Benefits When A Loved One Dies
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
How are Social Security benefits handled when someone dies? After a long illness, my 68-year-old father has only weeks left to live. I am helping my mom figure out her financial situation going forward, including what to do about my dad’s Social Security after he passes away but could use some help.
Only Son
Dear Only,
I’m very sorry about the impending loss of your father. To help you and your mom understand what Social Security provides and what needs to be done when a family member dies, here are some key points you should know.
Your first order of business will be to make sure the Social Security Administration is notified when your father dies, so his monthly benefits will be stopped. In most cases, the funeral home providing his burial or cremation services will do it. You’ll need to provide your dad’s Social Security number to the funeral director so they can make the report. But, if they don’t offer that service or you’re not using a funeral home, you’ll need to do it yourself by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213.
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‘I, Warlock: The Warlock Wars Book I’ Now Available on Amazon!
At last, ‘I, Warlock: The Warlock Wars Book I’ is now available on Amazon in eBook and paperback. CLICK HERE to get your copy!
When the world’s survival depends on the struggle between good and evil, only one can triumph. The victor will preserve for humankind what makes life worth living, or he will rule atop a mound of skulls, served by the souls he defeated.
I, Warlock tells the story of Julius Tide, born part-vampire, destined to be all warlock. Follow his journey from a near-innocent, living quietly in the Vermont countryside, to a man whose decisions will determine the fate of the world. Every step of the way he has his beloved Charlotte, whose beauty first stuns him one spring day at a local fair, and continues to comfort him as he undertakes a battle against monumental evil that can have only one winner. Grief, joy, ecstasy, tragedy–it all comes into play as Julius, Charlotte, and a dizzying cast of characters march to their destinies in I, Warlock, The Warlock Wars Book I.
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The Weekly Readlines July 12
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Well, that didn’t take long. A hair salon owner in Michigan declared she won’t serve portions of the LGBTQ community who use pronouns that freak her out. The chances she had any transgender clients before this? Zero.
Revelations about Clarence Thomas’s grifts just keep coming. Mo billionaires, mo problems, to paraphrase Biggy.
The super important GOP whistleblower guaranteed to bring down the Biden dynasty turns out to be a spy for China. Oops.
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An App for That: Getting a Bird’s Eye View with a ‘Bird Buddy’ Feeder
While it’s not technically an app, it plays one on your phone! One of our friends gave us a Bird Buddy for Christmas, and after waiting several months for it to arrive, we finally have it set up. It has a lot in common with a Ring camera, except that the camera is in the bird feeder. It becomes activated whenever a bird hops on for a snack, and it takes short videos of the activity. It can also identify the bird, and save the video in what it calls postcards that you can view later.
We’re just learning about it, and it can take up to a couple weeks for birds to find it, feel safe with it, and start feeding. You can also do a live view (just like a Ring) and see what the camera sees.
I’m looking forward to seeing who stops by for a meal, what kinds of birds they are, and just how camera shy a Blue Jay can be, which is probably not at all.
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Promo Video for The Twist Podcast #232
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The Twist Podcast #232: Bride of DeSantis, Easy-Bake Planet, and an interview with Ketchustard King Dustin Bowen
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we stare into the abyss that is Casey DeSantis, plan our escape from a sizzling planet, and enjoy Rick’s interview with Ketchustard founder Dustin Bowen.
Ketchustard™ is a decades long journey and passion of bringing together two of the most iconic condiments into one. By combining ketchup and mustard in a very special ratio, you are able to achieve legendary status. This is varsity league. (Ketchustard is a registered trademark.)
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
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#TransPeopleAreLoved Campaign Recruits Celebrity Allies
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Rick’s Latest Listicle: the City Name Game
What’s in a city’s name. That’s what this listicle is all about. Here are my top ten favorite town names you’ll find across these 50 states These are in no particular order.
- Big Bottom, WA
- Boring, OR
- Beer Bottle Passing, ID
- Mormon Bar, CA
- Ding Ding, TX
- Handsome Eddy, MA
- Waterproof, LA
- What Cheer, IA
- Chicken Bristle, IL
- And Pie Town, NM
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Steve Hayes’s Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Valley of the Dolls
From Steve Hayes’s Tired Old Queen at the Movies
Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, Sharon Tate, Lee Grant and Susan Hayward ripping the lid off Tinseltown in Mark Robson’s film version of Jacqueline Susann’s blistering bestseller VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (’67). Sex, drugs, booze & ruthless ambition fuel this story of the underside of show business and have made it a cult classic, maybe a camp classic. It’s a wild ride and one you won’t want to miss!
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Gardening for the Mind and Spirit
By Mark McNease
One of the things I’ve been proudest of achieving since we moved to our little house in rural New Jersey six years ago is setting up our raised-bed garden. It felt almost like an artwork, but a living one. It’s getting a little worn-down now, but we have at least one more year of a bountiful tomato, squash, zucchini, and (this year) lettuce harvest. I may tear it down and start over next year … or not. I’ll let nature and my own ambition tell me what to do next spring.
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The Weekly Readlines July 5
Quotes for the Week: “If any Arizonan believes that they have been the victim of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, or ancestry in a place of public accommodation, they should file a complaint with my office. I will continue to enforce Arizona’s public accommodation law to its fullest extent.”
– Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes
“The court is part of a gang of reactionaries clawing back rights we already won, which means we can win them back.”
– Rebecca Solnit, on the current Supreme Court majority.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Civil rights groups sue Harvard to end affirmative action for kids of rich white alumni.
Cocaine was found in the White House, possibly left behind by Trump family or Hunter Biden, depending on your political affiliation.
And this July 3 was the hottest day ever recorded. Climate change? What climate change?
LGBTQ NEWS
Arizona AG Kris Mayes Tells Supreme Court To Take Their Discrimination Elsewhere
DailyKosGovernor Expands Spending Benchmarks to LGBT, Disability-Owned Businesses
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Video Trailer for ‘I, Warlock’ Drops Today! Book Arrives in July
I’m just about two weeks away from publishing the new book. So exciting! This video says it all, and there will be three books in the series.