After years of development and months of testing, our new integrated software is now live on this site. Just click on the “Software” tab above.
Key enhancements to the Savvy Social Security Planning software include:
- Integration of the primary calculators, including Spousal Planning, Divorce Planning, Survivor Planning, and WEP/GPO Planning, into a single unified application
- Ability to model complex cases involving dependent benefits
- Greater ease in modeling scenarios for multiple life spans and COLA combinations
- Expanded support for modeling WEP/GPO in all types of client situations
- More control over “Suggested Scenarios”
- Increased capabilities for customizing client reports
- Educational tips integrated throughout the tool
- Improved performance and speed
I think you will find the software to be very intuitive and easy to use. There are a few changes to the input process—for example, you’ll be entering the COLA and life expectancies at the scenario level rather than the client level in order to run differing assumptions for the same client. Then you can choose which scenarios you want to show clients.
The biggest upgrade is the ability to model dependent benefits. For example, if you have a husband who is thinking of claiming early in order to start benefits for his minor children, the software will show you, based on his and his wife’s life expectancy, whether it’s worth it for him to claim early in order to start those dependent benefits earlier, versus delay to 70 in order to maximize the wife’s survivor benefit. Like the old calculators, the software shows total lifetime benefits under each scenario and identifies the one paying maximum lifetime benefits.
For clients who worked in non-covered jobs who are subject to the WEP (retirement benefits) or GPO (spousal or survivor benefits), all you have to do is check the “Worked in a non-covered job?” box and enter the client’s WEP-adjusted (which you can get from the SSA WEP Calculator) along with their pension information.
The old calculators will still be available for some period of time but will no longer be supported. We are in the process of developing training videos to help you get the most out of the software. In the meantime, feel free to try it out. Let us know what you think via the feedback button.