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Married
Claiming as a Couple
Tom and Carol weren't sure whether one of them should wait. Coordinating two records is where couples often leave the most on the table.
A coordinated two-record plan AMAC Foundation · Free Guidance
You Don’t Have to Navigate Social Security Alone.
Social Security can be complicated, but getting trusted help should not be.
The AMAC Foundation’s nationally accredited Social Security Advisors provide free, personalized guidance to seniors, future retirees, and their families. Whether you are preparing to claim benefits, trying to understand survivor or spousal benefits, working through an eligibility question, or dealing with conflicting information, our experienced team is here to help you understand your options and determine your next steps.
There is no charge, no obligation, and no product to purchase. This service is made possible through the generosity of AMAC Foundation donors.
- Free, personalized Social Security guidance
- Nationally accredited Social Security Advisors
- Available to AMAC members and the public
- Supported by the nonprofit AMAC Foundation
$111K
average lifetime gap
from claiming at
the wrong time
from claiming at
the wrong time
19%
of Americans know
age 70 maximizes
your benefit
age 70 maximizes
your benefit
70–124%
of your full benefit —
claiming at 62
vs. waiting to 70
claiming at 62
vs. waiting to 70
$0
what this
guidance costs
you
guidance costs
you
How the Free Review Works
Answers for Every Stage of Your Social Security Journey
No two Social Security situations are exactly alike. Our nationally accredited advisors help individuals and families understand the rules, evaluate their options, and determine what questions to ask before making an important decision.
Tell Us Your Question
Complete the online form or call our Social Security Advisory Service. Share as much information as you are comfortable providing about your situation, concerns and goals.
Connect With an Advisor
A nationally accredited Social Security Advisor will review your inquiry and may contact you for additional information needed to better understand your circumstances.
Receive Clear Guidance
Your advisor will explain the Social Security rules that may apply, answer your questions and help you understand your available options and next steps.
Free & No Obligation
How Can We Help?
Complete the form below and tell us what you would like help understanding. An AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisor will review your inquiry and follow up with you.
- Nationally accredited advisors
- 44,000+ individuals and families assisted
- Over $2.5 million+ in Social Security benefits identified and recovered
Nonprofit 501(c)(3)
No products to buy
Your info stays private
Takes under 2 minutes
Ask a Social Security Advisor
Social Security rules can be difficult to understand, especially when your family, work history, health, or retirement plans make your situation unique.
Share your question with the AMAC Foundation, and one of our nationally accredited Social Security Advisors will help you understand the rules, options, and next steps that may apply.
Request received!
An AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisor will review your inquiry and follow up with you.
Prefer to talk now? Call 888-750-2622.
Real Situations
Where the Biggest Money Hides
Three of the most common reasons members reach out — and the questions a counselor helps them answer.
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Widowed
Survivor Benefits
After losing her husband, Sandra didn't know she could switch between her own benefit and a survivor benefit to get more over her lifetime.
Understood her survivor options/library/8be67bf6-8fcb-41cd-9300-1467da9d8584/divorced-woman.jpg)
Divorced
The 10-Year Rule
Ruth had no idea a marriage of 10 years or more could entitle her to a benefit on her ex-spouse's record — without affecting his.
Found a benefit she didn't know she hadThe Permanence Trap
One Decision. A Very Different Check.
The same earnings record pays a very different benefit depending on when you start — and the choice is locked in for life. That's why a free second opinion matters before you file.
Claiming Age
% of Full Benefit
What It Means for Life
Age 62
70%
Permanently reduced — locked in
Age 67
100%
Full benefit, no reduction
Age 70
124%
The largest check you can get
Percentages are exact for anyone born in 1960 or later (full retirement age 67), per the SSA Benefits Planner. One major study found claiming at the wrong time costs the average household about $111,000 over a lifetime (United Income, 2019). Your best age depends on your health, savings, and spouse — a counselor runs the numbers for free.
The Ask Rusty Podcast
Listen: Real Questions, Straight Answers
Certified Social Security advisor Russell 'Rusty' Gloor answers members' real claiming questions — listen right here, or read the weekly column.
Why Members Trust This
Guidance With Nothing to Sell
A Nonprofit, Not a Sales Desk
This is a free program of the AMAC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity. Our counselors earn no commission and have no product to push — the advice is the whole point.
A Strategy SSA Won't Build
The Social Security office processes your claim — it doesn't pick your strategy. Our counselors model spousal, survivor, divorced-spouse, and tax scenarios SSA staff don't.
Rated by the People We Helped
In our 2024/2025 Service Impact Survey, 98.8% of members would recommend the service and 92.6% were satisfied (413 respondents). Real results, not a slogan.
Common Questions
Straight Answers
Why pay for advice? Can't the Social Security office tell me what to do?
You won't pay — it's free, run by the AMAC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity. And here's the key thing most people miss: SSA staff process your claim, but they aren't set up to build you a personalized, lifetime-maximization strategy. Our counselors model the scenarios SSA won't, so you walk in already knowing the best move.
This sounds like a sales pitch. What are you really selling?
Nothing. The counselors earn no commission and there's no product attached — it's a program of a 501(c)(3) charity. That independence is the whole point: in our most recent survey, 98.8% of the people who used it would recommend it.
I already know how Social Security works. Do I really need help?
Most people feel that way — which is exactly why mistakes are so common. Surveys show most Americans say they understand Social Security, yet only about 19% know that waiting until 70 gives the highest monthly check. A free second opinion costs nothing, and the claiming decision can be worth six figures over a retirement.
Why optimize? Social Security might not even be around.
It isn't disappearing. Even if Congress does nothing, the trust fund is projected to pay about 77% of benefits after 2033 — and AMAC's members and advocates are fighting to protect full benefits. Precisely because the future is uncertain, it's worth claiming every dollar you've earned the right way.
I need the money now — I can't wait until 70.
Waiting isn't right for everyone, and we'd never push you to. Sometimes the smartest plan is claiming early in a coordinated way, or one spouse claiming while the other waits. The counselor builds the plan around your real life, free of charge — you bring the questions, they do the math.
A Six-Figure Decision Deserves a Free Second Opinion.
Talk to an accredited counselor at the nonprofit AMAC Foundation — free, no obligation, nothing to buy. Get your claiming decision right before you file.