Elevate Wealth

About Elevate Wealth

Elevate Wealth Advisory was founded in 1982 in Athens, Georgia, with the goal of helping people make smart decisions with their money. One of our core values is lifelong learning, and we are pleased to bring our insight to listeners through this podcast and hope it helps answer questions and build your knowledge about wealth management.

Publisher

Elevate Wealth Advisory

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Feb 2024

Latest episode

27 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

135 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Aug 2026

   Can I Work While Claiming Social Security?

   Can you work and collect Social Security at the same time? Yes—but if you claim Social Security before reaching full retirement age, there are important rules to understand. Deanne Rosso and Brian Rosso of Elevate Wealth Advisory discuss the Social Security earnings test, how earning income while receiving benefits can temporarily reduce your benefit, and what changes once you reach full retirement age. They also explain why your work plans, Social Security claiming strategy, taxes, and overall cash flow should be considered together before you file. Want help coordinating Social Security with your retirement plan? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let’s Talk. Subtitles: Can you work and collect Social Security at the same time? Let's talk about it today on Elevate Wealth. Hey there everybody. I'm Deanne Rosso with Elevate Wealth Advisory, and I'm joined again by our vice president, Brian Rosso. Welcome, Brian. Thanks for having me. Of course. So, Brian, today we're going to talk about Social Security and what should people know about working and collecting Social Security benefits? Well, I think some people ask the question, can I do both? And the answer to that is "yes." But there are some rules. So you want to be mindful if you do decide to take your Social Security benefit before your full retirement age. And, there's an earnings limit that you can earn if you do that. And we call that the earnings test. And, if you're over that earnings test limit, you could potentially reduce or even wipe away your benefit temporarily. We've mentioned in a prior video pulling your Social Security before your full retirement age, that's also going to lock you in with a lower benefit for your lifetime. So, you want to be mindful of that. But the good news is, once you've reached your full retirement age, the earnings test goes away and those income limits disappear. Yeah. So, you can claim Social Security while you're still working, but you just have to be mindful of the earnings test if it's before your full retirement age. Right. That's right. So, what's a key takeaway then for someone who is considering taking their Social Security while they're still working? Right. So, if you have a plan in mind, you definitely want to talk with your adviser about it. Let them know what your plan is for work and for Social Security and the timing of those. You want to make sure you're coordinating that decision with your tax management and also what are your income stream needs. Claiming Social Security still might make sense even with the earnings test if the benefits you're going to receive are still in coordination with your overall plan. Yeah. So again, a very personal decision for every individual situation, and that's really great insight. Thank you for that, Brian. And it's exactly the kind of information and strategy that we want you guys to consider. So, if you have questions about thinking about continuing to work and claim Social Security or how that works with your overall retirement income plan, that's where we're here to help you plan for. So, visit us at elevate-wealth.com and click "let's talk." Thanks for watching today and we'll see you next time. Want help deciding when to claim Social Security while continuing to work? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let's Talk. 🔗 Website: https://elevate-wealth.com 🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatewealthadvisory 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatewealthadvisory Subscribe to our channel and hit that notification bell 🔔 to stay updated on the latest investment strategies and financial planning tips !#SocialSecurity #WorkingInRetirement #RetirementPlanning #RetirementIncome #FinancialPlanning #PersonalFinance #SocialSecurityBenefits #Retirement #WealthManagement #ElevateWealthAdvisory

2. 

   20 Aug 2026

   Spousal Benefits Vs. Survivor Benefits...What's The Difference?

   What’s the difference between Social Security spousal benefits and survivor benefits? While they may sound similar, the rules—and the potential benefits—can be very different. Deanne Rosso and Brian Rosso of Elevate Wealth Advisory explain how spousal benefits work while your spouse is living, how survivor benefits work after a spouse passes away, and why Social Security claiming decisions should often be considered together as a couple. The timing of one spouse’s decision may affect the benefits available to the other spouse later, making coordination an important part of retirement planning. Want help thinking through Social Security as part of your financial plan? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let’s Talk. Subtitles: Spousal benefits and survivor benefits sound similar, but they're very different. Let's talk about it today on Elevate Wealth. Hey there, I'm Deanne Rosso with Elevate Wealth Advisory, and I'm joined today again by Brian Rosso, our VP. Welcome, Brian. Thanks, Deanne. Good to have you today. So, Brian, what is the difference between spousal benefits and survivor benefits when it comes to Social Security? Right. So, at the most basic level, a spousal benefit is when you claim on your spouse's earnings record, but while they're still alive. Okay. Survivor benefit, on the other hand, they are benefits, but they're paid after a spouse has passed away. Okay. So, it's still a spouse, but it's the surviving spouse that's claiming a benefit. That's right. So, spousal benefits max out at 50% of the spouse's earnings record, whereas survivor benefits can allow you to get up to a maximum of 100% of the benefit. But again, that spouse has to be passed away. Right. Now, the claiming rules differ under both of those strategies as well. So, for spousal benefits, you must be at least 62 years of age and your spouse has to have also claimed for their own benefit. Survivor benefits, on the other hand, have their own complete set of rules, and it's important because there's some strategies that can come into play once one spouse passes. What's one planning point that couples should consider? Right. So, as a couple, the claiming decision on one spouse can affect what the benefit is for the surviving spouse, and this can impact the overall benefit and potentially lower the lifetime benefit for the household. Right. So that's a great reminder, Brian, because this is one of those areas when couples do need to plan together for when to claim while they're alive and also consider the fact that if there if one were to predecease the other and how that impacts the surviving spouse's benefits. So good things to remember, lots of different rules, and also there's divorced spouse benefits and divorced spouse survivor benefits, and we're not going to go into all of those today, but it can be complicated. So, if you have questions or need assistance in deciding your Social Security strategy or how these strategies work together for couples, we are here to help. Visit us at elevate-wealth.com and click "let's talk." Thank you for joining me, Brian. Thanks for having me. And we'll see you next time. Want help creating a coordinated Social Security strategy? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let's Talk. 🔗 Website: https://elevate-wealth.com 🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatewealthadvisory 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatewealthadvisory Subscribe to our channel and hit that notification bell 🔔 to stay updated on the latest investment strategies and financial planning tips!#SocialSecurity #SurvivorBenefits #SpousalBenefits #RetirementPlanning #RetirementIncome #FinancialPlanning #PersonalFinance #Retirement #WealthManagement #ElevateWealthAdvisory

3. 

   13 Aug 2026

   How Is My Social Security Benefit Calculated?

   How much Social Security will you receive in retirement—and how does Social Security calculate your benefit? Deanne Rosso and Brian Rosso of Elevate Wealth Advisory explain how your 35 highest-earning years, your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), and the age at which you claim can affect your monthly Social Security benefit. They also discuss why it’s important to review your Social Security earnings history and how creating an online Social Security account can help you check your record and estimate future benefits. Want help understanding how Social Security fits into your retirement income plan? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let’s Talk. So Brian, in simple terms, how is Social Security benefit calculated? Right. So the benefit is going to be calculated based on your 35 highest earning years. Right. And the Social Security Administration takes those years, incorporates that into a formula, and that's going to generate your Primary Insurance Amount. And that PIA is going to be your benefit at your full retirement age. Then, based on when you actually claim for your benefit, that amount is going to be adjusted up or down depending on when you actually file. For most, you can claim as early as age 62 and forego some of your benefit, and we call that a penalty. Or you can decide to delay until age 70. And for each year you delay beyond your full retirement age, you actually get an 8% bonus. Okay? So, 35 highest years earnings averaged out becomes your PIA, your Primary Insurance Amount. And you can claim as early as 62 or as late as 70, and the benefit adjusts. That's right. Right. Okay. So, what can people do if they're unsure what their benefit is? Right. Well, you want to look at your Social Security statement. There, you'll be able to see what your projected benefit will be. You can even see your earnings history, and that can be really important to look at, because those really drive the calculation, and we really find that especially helpful for individuals that may not qualify for a Social Security benefit yet and still need some credits. It's also beneficial for those individuals that maybe didn't work for a period of time and they have zeros on their earnings record, and now they're trying to replace them with higher earning years. That's so good to know and such an easy thing to double check, too. So, if somebody's never set up their Social Security account online, that's how you check your statement, right? It is. And your earnings history. Right? Okay. So, how do you do that? So, to set up your account, you want to go to ssa.gov. You want to click login. And if you've never done this before, you'll have to be verified through either login.gov or id.me. And then once you're fully verified, you'll be able to set your credentials. And then that'll get you into the ssa.gov website. And once you're there, you can pull your statement. You can review your earnings history, and you can even project future benefits based on changes that you anticipate in your income. That's great. So, such an important thing to do just a few minutes of your time to set up that account, check your earnings history, and project your benefit possibly, which is a very important part of your retirement income. Absolutely. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for that today, Brian. That's very helpful insight. And if you need help figuring out, you know, how to log into socialsecurity.gov or um what your benefit could be or what the optimal strategy is for you, that's what we're here for. So, visit us at elevate-wealth.com and click "let's talk." Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time. Want help understanding how Social Security fits into your retirement income plan? Visit elevate-wealth.com and click Let's Talk. 🔗 Website: https://elevate-wealth.com 🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatewealthadvisory 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatewealthadvisory

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YouTube views

57,641

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

91

Social presence

91

YouTube

85

Engagement

0

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