{"id":4150,"date":"2021-01-15T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/?p=4150"},"modified":"2021-01-15T07:38:55","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T14:38:55","slug":"a-social-security-windfall-changes-my-entire-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/2021\/01\/15\/a-social-security-windfall-changes-my-entire-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A Social Security Windfall Changes My Entire Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.6.0&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;19px||23px|||&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.4.7&#8243; global_module=&#8221;2637&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.4.7&#8243;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/GPB-Bank-Local-Banner.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;GPB-Bank-Local-Banner&#8221; url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.goldenpacificbank.com\/&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;on&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.4.7&#8243;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.1&#8243; min_height=&#8221;114px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;17px||2px|||&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.1&#8243;][et_pb_post_title title=&#8221;off&#8221; author=&#8221;off&#8221; categories=&#8221;off&#8221; comments=&#8221;off&#8221; featured_image=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.2&#8243; meta_font=&#8221;|700|on||||||&#8221; meta_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; meta_text_color=&#8221;#ff0000&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||0px||false|false&#8221;][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;_initial&#8221; min_height=&#8221;75px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||0px|||&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>A Social Security Windfall Changes My Entire Life<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; header_2_font=&#8221;Georgia|300|||||||&#8221; header_2_font_size=&#8221;21px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;-5px||0px||false|false&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Only 15 days into the 2021 and I may never work again<\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.3&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px|||&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Author&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.1&#8243; header_4_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; header_6_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; header_6_font_size=&#8221;13px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|||&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h6>By Ed Goldman<\/h6>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.6.0&#8243; module_alignment_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; module_alignment_phone=&#8221;&#8221; module_alignment_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.1&#8243;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span class='et-dropcap'>J<\/span>ust before the tattered, charred and crumpled curtain of 2020 was drawn, I was notified I\u2019d be receiving a windfall from the United States government \u201con or about January 20, 2021.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I was so exhilarated I felt I just had to share the news with someone, even though my family always maintained a tradition of never telling anyone what we earned. This included not telling the people living with us, even if we shared a surname.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_1261.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;Edgy Cartoon&#8221; title_text=&#8221;IMG_1261&#8243; align=&#8221;center&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; width=&#8221;60%&#8221; max_width=&#8221;60%&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset3&#8243;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;14px&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;-16px||||false|false&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Move Over, Bill Gates!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>\u201dYour Social Security benefit will increase by 1.3% in 2021 because of a rise in the cost of living,\u201d the letter informed me. I hurriedly reached for my calculator and determined this would amount to an increase of\u2014I hope you\u2019re sitting down and can keep your envy in check\u2014$27 a month.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, okay. I know I\u2019m bragging. But I\u2019ve never been the guy who bought the winning Lotto or even scratch-off ticket at my local liquor store. Years ago, even those scratch-and-sniff ads in magazines to promote new colognes never worked for me until hours later, forcing me to explain to my significant other late that night why my fingernails smelled like Jade East.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Adsense Horizontal&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.5.0&#8243; width=&#8221;90%&#8221; width_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; width_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; max_width=&#8221;90%&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_margin_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; custom_margin_phone=&#8221;|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_margin_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_module=&#8221;1433&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><!-- gs_horizontal_new --><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     style=&#8221;display:block&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-client=&#8221;ca-pub-8489921453224987&#8243;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-slot=&#8221;5069548950&#8243;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-format=&#8221;auto&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-full-width-responsive=&#8221;true&#8221;><\/ins><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><\/script>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Thank God I had learned to never scratch the ads for female perfumes. I don\u2019t think the rest of the evening would have gone well if I\u2019d had to explain my knuckles bearing the scent of Chanel\u2019s\u00ae <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3skwQy5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Spray<\/a>. In fact, I don\u2019t think the rest of the relationship would have benefitted.<\/p>\n<p>To recap: I\u2019m in a state of euphoria\u2014and I don\u2019t mean <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ibrRLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calvin Klein\u2019s Euphoria<\/a>\u00ae, which is said to have a \u201cwoody, oriental scent (with) notes of pomegranate, black violet, black orchid, and mahogany.\u201d This sounds an awful lot like the wax you on lacquered coffee tables, but what do I know?<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Gabi &#8211; 720 x 90 Compare Rates&#8221; module_class=&#8221;noLinkBorder&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#eeeeee&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true&#8221; global_module=&#8221;3975&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=1493128&#038;u=1383997&#038;m=78823&#038;urllink=&#038;afftrack=goldman\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.shareasale.com\/image\/78823\/Leaderboard.png\" border=\"0\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.shareasale.com\/image\/78823\/Leaderboard.png\" border=\"0\" \/><\/noscript><\/a>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Okay, back to Dreamland, Cloud Nine, heaven-on-earth and Eden (prior to the ill-advised sampling of its fruit-tasting platter). I\u2019ve just started imagining 10 things what I can do with that extra $27 every month:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Pay off (none of) my credit card bills! Or at least (not) the interest!<\/li>\n<li>Finally replace my 19-year-old car\u2014as long as I can pay off inline skates on time, with a decent APR.<\/li>\n<li>Take an inline skating lesson. I looked it up and found that the average cost for a skating lesson is \u201cfrom $10 to $20.\u201d This would mean $15, if you know how to do your averages. I figure that if I take one lesson a month, that\u2019ll leave me with a cool $17 to $7 in my coffers, which is what call my multi-pocketed cargo pants.<\/li>\n<li>When restaurants reopen for indoor dining, order an entire Bento box lunch instead of just a cup of Miso and the sprig of seaweed that\u2019s part of the popular child\u2019s plate. I only hope that at tip time, my waitperson won\u2019t misconstrue my gluttony as financial largesse. And that I still qualify as a popular child.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Silver Cuisine &#8211; AARP&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221; global_module=&#8221;2548&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anrdoezrs.net\/click-100009253-12730686\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><br \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.awltovhc.com\/image-100009253-12730686\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\" alt=\"728x90 Silver Cuisine with AARP Members\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>Give money to every charity and nonprofit that forgets I\u2019m alive until late December (and you know who you are).<\/li>\n<li>No longer think about withholding a few bucks here and there from my Comcast and Earthlink bills for every time they quit working, sometimes for just a few hours, sometimes for a couple of days. But with that $27 on hand, I think I can afford to be generous to a fault. Well, to their faults, really.<\/li>\n<li>Based on current pricing, I think I can get a hair transplant for my male-pattern baldness, which looks as though I\u2019m wearing an increasingly larger flesh-colored yarmulke on the back of my head. I figure I can afford two or three follicle replacements a month. The lingering dilemma, natch, is that as I replace those hairs, others may continue to evanesce. Perhaps I should just let nature take its course, save the hairs that fall out and see what I can concoct with a little cheese cloth and Elmer\u2019s Glue\u00ae.<\/li>\n<li>Having that disposable $27 may finally free me from the habit of using those circled \u201cR\u201ds in this column whenever I mention brand names (see Chanel, Calvin Klein and Elmer\u2019s, above). I\u2019ve been doing this product placement in the hope that these companies, using the super-sophisticated search engines at their disposal, will send me money or lovely gifts to reward my unquestioning boosterism. But to date, they haven\u2019t. So the hell with them. And I would humbly ask that you refrain from buying perfume or glue from the aforementioned manufacturers until further notice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Adsense Horizontal&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.5.0&#8243; width=&#8221;90%&#8221; width_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; width_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; max_width=&#8221;90%&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_margin_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; custom_margin_phone=&#8221;|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_margin_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_module=&#8221;1433&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><!-- gs_horizontal_new --><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     style=&#8221;display:block&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-client=&#8221;ca-pub-8489921453224987&#8243;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-slot=&#8221;5069548950&#8243;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-ad-format=&#8221;auto&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     data-full-width-responsive=&#8221;true&#8221;><\/ins><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><\/script>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<ol start=\"9\">\n<li>My $27 bonanza should also prevent my hesitating when a Starbucks barista asks if I want a Short (eight ounces), Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces) or Venti (20 ounces) coffee. When the weather warms up, I may even opt for a Venti Iced (24 ounces) and the all-new budget- and truss-breaking 31-ounce Trenta, which will cost 50 cents more than the Venti Iced, according to Starbucks. By the way, \u201ctrenta\u201d is only 30 in Italian, so it\u2019s clear the company is tossing in an extra ounce. Otherwise Starbucks would call the new drink \u201dtrentuno,\u201d which might confuse a customer into thinking it\u2019s \u201cTarantino\u201d and expect baristas to suddenly turn violent, their language to become profane and racist and their conversations to make no sense.<\/li>\n<li>Finally, I can at last plan to do some traveling once the global image of Americans changes back from our being considered monolingual lepers with credit cards to monolingual fatties with credit cards. I think $27 may not help much if I fly overseas on United\u2014the airline \u201callows one free bag and charges $100 for the second checked bag,\u201d according to its website\u2014but I\u2019m perfectly content to skip the baggage check and fly while wearing three days\u2019 worth of suits and underwear. If the TSA people get suspicious as I go through check-in, I\u2019ll point to my bald spot and say I just won an award as the world\u2019s heaviest rabbi and am flying to Europe to accept it. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll congratulate me and let me pass\u2014especially if I add that I\u2019m so excited because I\u2019ve never even bought a winning Lotto ticket.  <span class=\"endingG\"> <\/span> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Ed PBS&#8221; module_class=&#8221;yellowLink&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.7.7&#8243; text_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#E02B20&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|53px|20px|53px|true|true&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;5px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;dotted&#8221; global_module=&#8221;4088&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>ED TV? See Ed Goldman on <a href=\"https:\/\/vids.kvie.org\/video\/sacramento-2021-wrgu55\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PBS-KVIE&#8217;s Studio Sacramento<\/a>, with the Sacramento Bee&#8217;s Marcos Breton and host Scott Syphax. (<a href=\"https:\/\/vids.kvie.org\/video\/sacramento-2021-wrgu55\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Link<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Amazon &#8211; Cat Favorites&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.8.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#eeeeee&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true&#8221; global_module=&#8221;3881&#8243;]<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_placement = \"adunit0\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_search_bar = \"true\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"goldmanstate-20\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_ad_mode = \"manual\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_ad_type = \"smart\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_region = \"US\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_title = \"Cat Favorites from Amazon Pets\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_linkid = \"387315f75091db21bb4644dc68fdb17e\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->amzn_assoc_asins = \"B07TM422PL,B000GEWHNS,B00K5N7V68,B07S7P3MFS\";<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><\/script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><script src=\"\/\/z-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/onejs?MarketPlace=US\"><\/script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.3.2&#8243; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;|auto||0px|false|false&#8221; module_alignment_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; module_alignment_phone=&#8221;&#8221; module_alignment_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; border_color_top=&#8221;#E02B20&#8243; global_module=&#8221;1122&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.0.6&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;About Ed&#8221; module_class=&#8221;AuthorBioBox&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.7.7&#8243; text_font=&#8221;Georgia||on||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#444&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#eeeeee&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;10px||10px||true|false&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/about-ed\/\">Ed Goldman&#8217;s<\/a> column appears almost every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A former daily columnist for the Sacramento Business Journal, as well as monthly columnist for Sacramento Magazine and Comstock\u2019s Business Magazine, he\u2019s the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jUELxM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">author<\/a> of five books, two plays and one musical (so far).<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just before the tattered, charred and crumpled curtain of 2020 was drawn, I was notified I\u2019d be receiving a windfall from the United States government \u201con or about January 20, 2021.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>I was so exhilarated I felt I just had to share the news with someone, even though my family always maintained a tradition of never telling anyone what we earned. This included not telling the people living with us, even if we shared a surname.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Social Security Windfall Changes My Entire Life - The Goldman State by Ed Goldman<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/goldmanstate.com\/2021\/01\/15\/a-social-security-windfall-changes-my-entire-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Social Security Windfall Changes My Entire Life - The Goldman State by Ed Goldman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just before the tattered, charred and crumpled curtain of 2020 was drawn, I was notified I\u2019d be receiving a windfall from the United States government \u201con or about January 20, 2021.\u201d  I was so exhilarated I felt I just had to share the news with someone, even though my family always maintained a tradition of never telling anyone what we earned. 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