Customer Testimonials

Maximizemysocialsecurity.com program costs $40 ($250 for planners) and can potentially raise your and your clients' lifetime Social Security benefits by many thousands of dollars. Run it before you or your clients make any Social Security moves.

MaximizeMySocialSecurity has been an extremely valuable and necessary tool in helping clients navigate the Social Security benefits claiming decision process. The software is easy to use and highly accurate. Customer support has been excellent and timely whenever I have a question. I highly recommend this program to financial advisors that want to provide an extra level of expertise and set themselves apart from other advisors.

Maximize My Social Security software is not only easy to use, but it also offers ability to do “what-if” calculations which was especially helpful for me. Navigating the Social Security maze is daunting to say the least which is why this software is worth the investment. Lastly, when I had questions, I always received a prompt email reply.

I bought your product this morning, thinking it was going to be an all day project - yet I'd input all the required information & made three runs with differing variables in ~ 2 hours. A very satisfied customer who sent recommendations to several folks I think will want to buy it. Kudos to you for your product!

We had a lot of questions facing Social Security, and were please to find the maximizemysocialsecurity.com web site and software. After entering basic information, we were able to easily download our current information from Social Security, and the software calculated the scenario for getting the most of what is coming to you ––– individualized to your particular needs. The real beauty of the software is the “what-if” feature, which will compare your maximized benefit with other scenarios for claiming Social Security at different times. We really appreciate the fact that the web site is monitored, and knowledgeable representatives are available to assure that your information is as accurate as possible.
Thanks!

Thank You! I truly appreciate your rapid response. Your suggestions corrected my problem. Love the software ––– best on the market.

MMSS has been a critical tool for us in our planning business. Thank you for a great product!

Thank you. The program MMSS has been a great help. So has your book, Laurence. Specifically, the software was easy to use and provided results that helped maximize our Social Security benefits at multiple collection entry points while testing different variables. Thank you again.

Believe it or not, you're the only one in the country I believe re: Social Security. I am now satisfied that I won't "leave anything on the table." Again thanks are deeply warranted.

I tell anyone that brings up Social Security about this software. I'm also very impressed with the ability to talk to someone about the results and ask questions using the expert review consultation. Thank you again for your knowledge and your kindness. You guys changed our lives! My girls now have a livable income.

I bought the $40 version. I found it very easy to use and performed the scenarios I wanted to do. It took me a bit of digging to figure out how to change a couple of the variables, but it didn’t take that long. The back of the envelope calculations I had done previously were in the same ballpark, which provided comforting confirmation of the results. Thanks for answering all my questions.

Much thanks. I appreciate all your help. Love your program! Your program has been spot on and great. Thanks again.

I signed up for Maximize My Social Security after I saw a segment about the program on PBS with Paul Solman. You have to do the necessary work to get all the data into the program but once you do the information received is invaluable. It’s really easy to make a mistake which could cost tens of thousands of dollars over the long run. This software helps you immensely in navigating the social security minefield. Buy a license you won’t regret it.

Today we were successful in make our application for my wife’s spousal benefit. We were told that the original agent was mistaken and apologized for him. Thanks to your clear info and guidance, this got done. Had I not used your services I, first, wouldn’t have known about the strategy, and secondly, would have taken no for the answer and left it at that. We are very appreciative for your help.

You and your website have been a huge help. I recommend you regularly.

I've been struggling to reconcile the recommendations regarding Social Security made by my advisor's financial planning software with my own calculations. I believed I should wait until age 70, but his model recommended an earlier start. When I used MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com, I remembered that his model didn't properly account for the Government Pension Offset (GPO) imposed by my wife's teacher pension.
Your projection showed me that the GPO has an oversized effect on spousal and survivor benefits, even for a spouse that is only a few years younger. So, it has settled the issue for us, and I'll be recommending your site for our friends that are in a similar situation.
Thanks!

Thanks again, I’m glad I checked with you before filing and suspending with the plan to get spousal benefit. Great product – I’m in the insurance business (Senior health insurance products) and have suggested your product to many clients.

Thank you for providing this valuable information that will make a real difference in our retirement. This is the best $40 investment I’ve ever made!

I’ve been using MMSS for about a year and can’t say enough about it’s usefulness. I’m quite comfortable with spreadsheets, but MMSS provides utility that is hard to duplicate.

Larry and his team often reply to questions by suggesting to buy the software, or similar software. While it sounds like a solicitation it’s actually solid advice. There are so many variables in any situation, and Social Security rules are so complicated, it’s rare that simple answers can be given in a Q&A forum. Having a tool you can run over and over allows you to test the effects of changing some of the more subjective inputs ––– how long you will live for example ––– and help with decisions about starting benefits earlier or later. The benefits of a well-informed plan easily outweigh the cost of the software.

Your website has been extremely helpful in mapping out a timing strategy.

This is the first time in years of looking at these topics that I feel comfortable financially planning our retirement numbers. I truly appreciate your assistance.

I have recommended you and your website to many people, and​ later​ have been thanked by those who joined. I remain a grateful fan.

I will now highly recommend Maximize My Social Security to anyone who asks me. Ten cents a day for information that could impact thousands over years.

I recently purchased the household version to test some family Social Security benefits filing scenarios. Very impressive software and I have been delighted with the ability to perform alternative scenarios. Excellent. A good complement to my own Excel work. Thanks!

Thank you for your help and your quick reply. I love your program. I used information from your program to insist with SSA that I was entitled to certain benefits. Even after they turned me down twice, I persisted because your program was clear and I fought on to victory.

Thank you again for your prompt answer regarding my spousal benefit question. You all provide a great service and I have and will continue to recommend your site to my friends.

Your Social Security services have helped us immensely. I regard your products and services as public service offerings. Their cost was insignificant compared to the benefits that we are already realizing from your company’s contributions.

Thank you for another prompt response. It is clear to me now how it works and I'm so glad I read about your software in the Sunday NY Times. All these years I never knew about the excess spousal benefit, so it's like found money. Thanks again,

Maximize My Social Security has paid for the subscription, so far, by a factor of perhaps 4,000 times.

The report makes sense and reflects what we are actually getting at this point. I appreciate the rapid response, and I do think your program has helped us get the maximum Social Security.

Thanks for your responses; it's why I purchased Maximize My Social Security and also just starting using MaxiFi. Your product has saved thousands of dollars; great product and great customer service.

My practice is focused on Social Security benefit analysis and consulting, and Maximize My Social Security (MMSS) is one of two software tools I use with clients. MMSS is undoubtedly the best value of any Social Security software tool I have seen, offering several capabilities that are not found in software that costs literally three times as much. It is the only software in my arsenal that allows me to input earnings after a person turns 70. MMSS makes it easy to analyze the impact on benefits of different compensation splits between spouses who both work in the same closely held business. Data Input is intuitive, output is easy to understand, and technical accuracy is unmatched. For me, one of the most valuable benefits of holding an MMSS user license is the access it gives me to the unmatched expertise of Dr. Kotlikoff and his associates. I recommend this tool without reservation. https://www.socialsecuritymaven.com

Maximize My Social Security is ethical because you do not have auto renew.
I taught a grief and loss class and the worst thing that the bereaved have to go through is not only the process of grieving itself and all the secondary expenses and emotional pain, but time and again I hear of the emotional struggles that widows and widowers suffer with the maze of frustration and humiliation they have to go through in shutting down the auto renew of their departed spouses with so many companies. Companies are extremely insensitive to this with few exceptions. You are one of the companies with enough ethics to realize that auto renew is cruel. That is why I choose to keep Maximize My Social Security.

You do a great job covering all bases. And thanks for taking time out to talk with me. Not many owners of a business will take time to return calls from a customer so quickly.

Thank you so much for all your assistance. I can sleep again tonight! Your product is the best $40.00 investment that I have ever made.

Just to say what a very nicely designed and elegant program. I am a long time ESP fan! I have been trying to increase the financial literacy of some colleagues (who are being shepherded into the fold of a particular financial institution and in my view might be getting somewhat fleeced there!) and will highly recommend this. (I did use an alternative but yours is superior!). Thanks for your work. I liked the comments on the longevity issue and best guess inflation and real return % rate settings. (If you did not think it would over burden you might like to hint at worst case inflation and return scenarios in the help section?). Thank you - it must be nice to do good and interesting work which has social benefits.

We got our software program as advertised. It was easy to use. And best of all, my husband found several ways to maximize our social security that we never even dreamed of! I highly recommend this to anyone who will be collecting social security! THANKS SO MUCH! Please continue your good works . . .

I was surprised by the results as they didn’t match what I thought I knew about Social Security benefits. I emailed asking for clarification and had initial and follow-up responses within an hour. They were thorough and very helpful with a complex subject. Your customer support is outstanding.

The best money I've ever spent! Your calculator gave me a much more accurate sum of what I can expect in whatever year I decide to retire.

I've used a few other SS software programs before and yours is, without a doubt, the best I've come across so far. It's extremely user friendly and clients get it almost immediately.

The maximizemysocialsecurity.com calculator was by far the best tool I found to help me decide when to take my Social Security benefits. It is accurate, able to combine both my wife and my own social security benefits, is easy to use, and enabled analysis of lots of different scenarios. Kudos to Dr. Kotlikoff for an excellent solution to a complex problem.

You would not know how much my partner and I appreciate your expertise, enthusiasm, and willingness to put these into use to help your fellow citizens!​

Thank you so much for doing this. Based on all the other calculations we've​ done with your calculator and the SSA calculator, the numbers seem to be​ accurate and it gives us another scenario we need in helping us make our​ decision. You've given us the kind of service we expect from a good​ company, but don't usually get. We appreciate it!

I have an order to buy your book from Amazon and I was notified the order is delayed because they are out of stock and that you are are a Number One Best Seller! Congratulations. I just used Maximize My Social Security with a client last night and she was very excited to learn about her different options with Social Security and those shown using ESPlanner. Thanks for having such great products!
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Thank you very much Laurence, this is extremely helpful.
I really appreciate all the support you and your team lend, it is invaluable!
Best Regards,
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Dear Larry,
I know my friend A just emailed you, but I want to add my thanks to hers. Her new widow's benefit raises her monthly Social Security payment by 40% -- a material improvement in her financial situation.
As I said before: you're truly making a difference -- in a lot of people's lives.
Thank you so much.

Thank you so very much for getting back to me so promptly. I read your book which was excellent! I'm so glad I used your calculator. Like so many of my contemporaries, I was ready to file for my Social Security benefits at age 66. Now we will certainly wait, and follow your advice. I was astonished at how much money I would have lost should I have done so. I am recommending your book and calculator to my family and close friends.
Thank you for making extra ordinarily complicated government policy understandable to a "lay person". You have performed an outstanding public service!

Your software has been invaluable.

Hi Larry,
Thanks for your generous offer to intervene on my behalf. I have another appointment tomorrow morning with the SS folks to apply again. I don't anticipate calling you, 1) I doubt if they will allow a phone call to a third party, and 2) it's unreasonable to ask you to sit by your phone for a call that may or may not come.

I have done my homework since I received your email (sifting through the SS Manual and the POMS), and have convinced myself that, yes indeed, the approach outlined by the MMSS is accurate and that the SSA staff was mistaken. The clincher is GN 00204.020.F.2.a. I think I can present a coherent enough case to them to demonstrate that. I plan to take copies of the applicable sections of those documents with me tomorrow in the event I run into the same issues again. I think the only unknown at this point is whether my daughter is disabled "enough" to qualify as a child-in-care.

Thanks again for your help and for your excellent MMSS program - money well spent!
Regards,

Thank you so much for looking into my issue and responding so quickly. I feel a lot better about it now. Also, thanks for all of your efforts regarding social security. I stumbled across your book and program several years ago and they were so enlightening. I'm a financial guy and consider myself fairly bright yet I was struggling to understand all of the ins and outs of social security. Until your materials, I was reading all kinds of one-off articles that usually addressed certain points but were never very comprehensive. While I'm still no expert, with the help of your book and other readings I have been able to help a number of friends and family including widowers and divorcees who had no clue they were entitled to benefits. I just wish I would have known sooner as I have many older family and friends that are not well-versed in this subject who I know opted to take their benefits early without exploring or understanding all of their options. I continue to recommend your book and program to everyone I speak to about this.
Thanks again for providing invaluable advice for many, many people. and have a great day.

Thank you for the immediate feedback! Ah, yes, I forgot to look into the GPO, which *does* affect the spousal benefit. But at least now I understand why. Thank you for your excellent program.

I love the detailed yet succinct reports that the program provides for me to present to my clients. The customer service is excellent. They respond quickly to inquiries.

I really, really like MAXIMIZE MY SOCIAL SECURITY as I was trying to do all of these calculations with a spreadsheet before I found you last year! Your team feels like friends!

Larry Kotlikoff's "Maximize My Social Security" online calculator (perhaps "optimizer" would be a more appropriate term) is one of the most powerful — and utterly practical — tools I've found in over 40 years in the financial services industry. It takes into account many nuances and lesser-known rules that many calculators simply ignore. Users can compare a baseline scenario (e.g.: both spouses will file for benefits at Full Retirement Age) with a "maximized" scenario (i.e.: that combination of filing and claiming benefits that produces the highest Net Present Value, given user's assumptions of discount rate and ages at death). Change assumptions (how long each spouse will work, future earnings amounts, ages at death, etc.) and the tool produces another "maximized" scenario. I would recommend this tool, without reservation to any professional advisor in the financial services industry. The cost is remarkably low and the potential benefits — to the advisor and that advisor's clients — can be huge.

I wanted to get a clear view of what retirements benefits my wife and I could expect from Social Security, for various dates when I might want to (or have to) retire, and including the complex spousal benefits. I was impressed by the experience and expertise that has gone into the Maximize My Social Security program, and the variety of issues it takes into account. I like the fact that its reports are based on our actual past earnings, being able to enter estimates for future earnings, and of course to vary both of our benefit start dates. For each situation, Maximize My Social Security delivers a comprehensive report for each of us individually, and on a family basis. And for my particular situation, its handling of the complicated 'windfall elimination provision' is very useful.

I have used Maximize My Social Security and found it to be a great program to model clients for Social Security Planning. It is a wonderful planning tool. One of my clients who is terminally ill asked for proper strategy on claiming social security. He is 63 and wife is 62. Neither had claimed social security. This was a special case that I did not know how to model. I reached out to Maximize My Social Security. They went to work on a special case for us and created a report specifically for my clients. It was a tremendous service to clients and me. I am very impressed by their dedication to the planning process. They went above and beyond what I expected. Thank you so much.

Got the maximizer and did the math—worked like a charm! Thank you so much for your help (and on a weekend no less).

I am very impressed at how well the purchase went; how easy it is to enter
the basic personal information; and how easy it was to import earnings
records from SSA. This is a professional and polished product. Easy to use and great on-screen and pdf results. I am glad I found this product. I first saw the recommendation in the CNN Money - Ask the Expert site in the "How to Max Out Social Security Spousal Benefits" article. Again... I AM IMPRESSED.

I have done a significant amount of retirement financial planning (with advisors) and have always planned to wait until 70 to start taking SS benefits. I completely missed, however, the ability for my wife to file and suspend benefits while I take spousal benefits. That is more than $50K more than I was planning on.

The web site software is so informative. I had no idea that even if my husband and I never found work from here on out (we hope we do), and I am 62 and he is 59, if I apply at 68 and suspend and he applies at 66 for spousal and then I unsuspend at 70 and he applies for his benefits at 70, we can make $64,000 per year combined. We have some savings so it would actually be better to use savings if we had to than to take Social Security before 70! (I have a pension of $37500 so it is not all too bad in my state although there are no projected increases). People tell you "Don't use your savings," but they don't realize that if you take early Social Security, you are using your savings! This is great software.

Great program, well worth the money!

Great tool!

Thanks so much to one and all for your excellent counsel. You folks are the best!

I'm a satisfied user of your MaximizeMySocialSecurity tool. I found it remarkably easy to use. Even more remarkably, your tool determined that I would be eligible for spousal benefits at my full retirement age without spoiling the accrual of benefits in my own account. It therefore seems that my $40 investment in your tool increased the expected present value of my family's benefits by over $20,000. Warren Buffett, eat your heart out!

I will definitely recommend your product to friends who are near retirement age. I wish I had come across it years earlier. Many Thanks!

I love this program and would not have known about spousal benefits for spouses with young children without it.