Opinion

As the clock ran down on the Legislature’s third special session, Texas House and Senate leaders exchanged barbs over Gov. Greg Abbott’s school choice bill and border security proposals, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Dear Rusty: I am 64 years old and having difficulty working due to my arthritis, but I can continue part time as a podiatrist. I do not know the best way to determine when to retire. What is the formula or a way to determine which is a better choice? Signed: Undecided Dear Undecided: There is a difference between deciding when to retire from working and deciding when to claim your Social Security benefits. For the former, you should consult with a certified financial advisor, but I’ll provide you with how Social Security fits into your personal circumstances. In deciding when to claim Social Security, you should look at your financial needs, your life expectancy, your work status, and your marital status. There is no one formula right for everyone because everyone’s circumstances are different, but here are some things to help decide what is right for you:

Gov. Gregg Abbott and the Texas House are at loggerheads over which will come first – vouchers for parents to pay for private school tuition, or funneling more money to public schools, The Dallas Morning News reported.

An older woman, her age nearing the century mark, deeply desired to attend the recent Howard Payne University homecoming. She received her baccalaureate degree there some 75 years ago, and this was her first trip back to Brownwood since her graduation.

Dear Rusty: I will be 62 on November first and I have chosen to take my benefits early. I know that my benefit will be less than it would be if I waited and that does not concern me, but I don’t want to be without income for a long period of time. I know that if my birthday is on the first or second of the month, then I can draw that month. Does that mean that when I turn 62 on November 1st that I can receive my first check on the second Wednesday of November? And should I select November as the month I’d like my benefits to start? I also read that I would be paid the month following the month I select, hence my confusion. Signed: Confused Senior Dear Confused: There are a few different Social Security rules which come into play in your specific circumstance which are likely creating your confusion.

Even when life’s storms rage, we Americans are privileged to seek “ports of peace” that are welcoming, even if only for a few hours. There, we re-charge to face another day, with hopes re-kindled.

Early voting is now underway for the Nov. 7 general election. Voters will decide the fate of 14 proposed amendments, including measures to provide property tax relief and raise the homestead exemption to $100,000.

Dear Rusty: Can my wife claim her benefits now (at 63, and we know about the reduction for claiming early) and then, when I retire at 66 years and 10 months of age almost 3 years from now, can she switch over to spousal benefits based on my benefit amount? She worked at a higher paying job for much of her career but is now at a much lower income and would be under the amount that would reduce her benefits further. I currently earn about nine times her annual salary so the spousal benefit for her would be an increase when I retire. Signed: Seeking Information Dear Seeking: Yes, your wife can claim her own (reduced) Social Security retirement benefit now, and she will be automatically awarded a spousal boost when you later claim your SS retirement benefit.

Sometimes, newspaper headlines are clever to the max, like the one in the Dallas Morning News when the Texas Rangers mauled the Tampa Bay Rays in the first two games of the American League wild card playoff. There was but a sprinkling of Texas fans in the half-filled stadium, none of whom carried brooms.

socIAl securITy m ATTers By Rusty Gloor Dear Rusty: My wife, born in 1960, was a Texas school teacher for about 10 years and receives a $1,000 per month pension from that work. She didn’t pay into Social Security while teaching, but she paid into it for about 23 years while working elsewhere.