About Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau

Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. For many years, he was the director of SSA's public information office at the agency’s headquarters in Baltimore, Md. In that post, he was the chief editor for more than 100 informational publications produced by SSA.

He also was SSA’s deputy press officer for several years, serving in that position as a chief spokesman for the Social Security Administration. Prior to that, he was a speechwriter for the Commissioner of Social Security. Before he moved to SSA's headquarters, he worked for 12 years in Social Security field offices around the country, where he processed Social Security claims while writing Social Security columns for local newspapers.

He has written the “Social Security and You ” column for national syndication since 1997. Margenau graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1971. He is married and has two grown children and five grandchildren.

...

Different Answers Are Not Necessarily Wrong Answers Sep 24, 2025

Readers frequently tell me that they talked to two different Social Security Administration agents and got two different answers. Or they tell me that a neighbor gave them one bit of Social Security advice, but another neighbor told them something el... Read More

...

Why Widows Can't File for Benefits Online Sep 17, 2025

Q: My husband died several months ago. I'm 64. I'm getting my own retirement benefits, and he was getting his own benefits. His Social Security check was more than mine, so I think I am due widow's benefits. When I tried to file a claim online, I was... Read More

...

Little Green Spacemen and Social Security Sep 10, 2025

Well, if I listen to news reports or review the emails I get from many readers, I guess I'd have to conclude that Social Security is doomed. So that means it's time to once again trot out my "little green men and Social Security" story. This story ha... Read More

...

SSI Is Not Social Security Sep 03, 2025

I can tell it's time for me to once again explain to people that SSI and Social Security are two entirely different programs. Every single day, I get emails from readers who say something like this: "I am getting SSI, and I want to know if my wife m... Read More