50+ Lifestyles

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY | Davenport, Iowa Office

By Pam Shaw
Social Security District Manager
Davenport Social Security Office

POPULAR BABY NAMES

The Social Security Administration today announced the most popular baby names in Iowa for 2023. Oliver and Charlotte topped the list.

The top five boys’ and girls’ names for 2023 in Iowa were:

Boys / Girls

1)   Oliver / Charlotte

2)   Henry / Olivia

3)   Theodore / Amelia

4)   Liam / Harper

5)   Noah / Evelyn

The agency announced last week that Olivia and Liam were the most popular baby names in the U.S.  How does Iowa compare to the rest of the country?  Check out Social Security’s website — www.ssa.gov — to see the top national baby names for 2023 and see where your name ranks now and over the past 100 years.

Social Security began compiling the baby names list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880.  Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop culture on naming trends.  In addition to each state’s top baby names (and names for U.S. territories), Social Security’s website has a list of the 1,000 most popular boys’ and girls’ names for 2023 and the fastest-rising girls’ and boys’ names.

“Social Security is here to help parents continue to provide for your families – by securing a Social Security number for your child, filing for benefits for yourself or your family members, and so much more.  We will never stop working for you.” said Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley.

Social Security’s programs are particularly important for women, who made up 55 percent of adult Social Security beneficiaries in 2023. Women typically have longer life expectancies than men and earn less income over their lifetime due to the combined impact of the gender wage gap, caregiving responsibilities, overrepresentation in low-paid jobs, and more. Social Security also provides critical benefits to 2.6 million children, including nearly one million low-income children with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income benefits.  People can visit www.ssa.gov to learn more about how Social Security’s expanded digital services make it easier than ever for women and children to access critical benefits and services.

10 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Identity theft affects millions of people each year and can cause serious harm. Protect yourself by securing your personal information, understanding the threat of identity theft, and exercising caution.

Here are 10 things you can start doing now to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft:

1. Protect your Social Security number by keeping your Social Security card in a safe place at home. Don’t carry it with you or provide your number unnecessarily.
2. Be careful when you speak with unknown callers. Scammers may mislead you by using legitimate phone numbers or the real names of officials. If they threaten you or make you feel uneasy, hang up.
3. Create strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts. Use different passwords for different accounts so if a hacker gains access to one account, they can’t access others.
4. Never give your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited call or message, and never post it on social media.
5. Shred paper documents that contain personal information, like your name, birth date, or Social Security number.
6. Protect your mobile device from unauthorized access by securing it with a PIN, adding a fingerprinting feature or facial recognition. You can also add a password and adjust the time before your screen automatically locks.
7. Regularly check your financial accounts for suspicious transactions.
8. Avoid internet threats by installing and maintaining strong anti-virus software on all your devices—including your mobile device and personal computer. Use a virtual private network (VPN) to stay safe on public Wi-Fi. Do not perform activities that involve sensitive data, like online shopping and banking, on public Wi-Fi networks.
9. Protect yourself on social media by customizing your security settings and deleting accounts you no longer use. Also, double check suspicious messages from your contacts, as hackers may create fake accounts of people you know.
10. Never open a link sent via unsolicited email or text message. Type in the web address yourself. Only provide information on secure websites.

We encourage you to create your own personal my Social Security account to track your earnings record. For more information, please read our publication, Protecting Personal Information, at oig.ssa.gov/files/21-540_Protecting_Personal_Information.pdf. Contact us if you see suspicious work activity on your record. You could be a victim of identity theft.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

Do you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? If so, you need to tell us about any financial accounts you own, alone or with someone else. That’s because SSI is a needs-based program, and eligibility is determined by your resources as well as your income. Examples of financial accounts include:

• Checking, savings, and credit union accounts.
• Christmas club accounts.
• Certificates of deposit, also known as CDs.
• Stocks and U.S. savings bonds.

What you need to tell us

You need to tell us about changes to your financial accounts or account balances to ensure you receive the correct SSI payment amount. Let us know if you:

• Open a new account.
• Close an account.
• Add a joint owner to an existing account.
• Increase your account balance over the SSI resource limit of: $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a married couple living together and receiving SSI.

Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts

ABLE programs allow people with disabilities to save money without losing important benefits, including SSI. We exclude ABLE accounts with balances less than $100,000 when determining SSI eligibility. To learn more about ABLE accounts, visit www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-able.html.

How to Report Changes to Your Financial Accounts

• Call us toll free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Contact your local Social Security office. You can find your local office at www.ssa.gov/locator.

Additional Information

For a complete list of SSI reporting responsibilities, please refer to the publication What You Need to Know When You Get SSI at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-11011.pdf.

Please share this information with those who need it.