This yucca blooms from April to June, and will bloom many times in its lifetime, depending on rainfall. Below left: a blossom in May of 2003. Below right: April 2004, flowers opening along Pool Wash Ridge Road: (Click on each image to enlarge it)
You can still earn income when you draw Social Security early, there are limits though. In 2014, you can earn up to $15,480 a year and receive your early Social Security payment. Over and above that threshold, your Social Security payout is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn. In the year you reach your full Social Security age, you can earn up $3,450 a month before you reach 66, without affecting your benefits. (In that year, itâs reduced by $1 for every $3 you earn over the limit). The bottom line is if you earn more than the threshold, it doesnât make sense to take your benefit early.
Q. What is the maximum benefit you can get from Social Security this year? And how hard is it to qualify for that amount? A. To answer your second question first, qualifying for the maximum Social Security benefit is very difficultâitâs the equivalent of winning a benefits Powerball. To get the highest benefit possible at your full retirement age (FRA), your income needs to have been at or above the Social Security earnings ceiling (the amount of income subject to payroll tax) each year for at least 35 years since age 22. The payroll earnings cap is $127,200 in 2017; in 1982, 35 years ago, it was $32,400.