I have been working since I started collecting Social Security (SS) when I turned 62. Last year, I was apparently overpaid because of my job. I made $37,000 and now the Social Security Administration (SSA) says I owe it $8,800 because I made too much, and it has withheld my $2,000 monthly SS payment. I am close to the maximum allowable again already this year. So, I am looking at quitting my job so I don’t go over, but the SSA is holding my payments so then I would have no money. Any help would be appreciated. 

Signed: Frustrated by Social Security

Dear Frustrated: You are being affected by Social Security’s “earnings test” which applies to everyone who collects early Social Security and also works before reaching their full retirement age (FRA). If your earned income exceeds the annual limit (which was $19,560 for 2022), Social Security will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you are over the limit. If you earned $37,000 in 2022 you were more than $17,000 over the limit and owe half of that back to the SSA. It usually recovers what you owe by withholding your future benefit payments, so the SSA won’t pay you benefits until it has recovered that $8,800, after which your benefits will resume — but only for a while.

If you are working full time and also collecting early Social Security benefits, the earnings test lasts until you reach your FRA, which for you is 66 years and 8 months. The earnings limit goes up a bit each year — for 2023 it is $21,240 — but if you continue to work full time, you’ll receive another overpayment notice and have more benefits withheld. A better approach might be to contact the SSA in advance and tell it what your 2023 earnings are expected to be, thus permitting the agency to suspend your benefits in advance and avoid overpaying you. I’m afraid there is no way around this — collecting early benefits while working full time means the “earnings test” will affect your benefit payments.

 The “good news” in all of this is that when you reach your full retirement age, you will get time-credit for all months your benefits were withheld. By that I mean the SSA will, at your FRA, recalculate your benefit entitlement as though you had claimed later (later by the number of months you had benefits withheld), which will result in a higher monthly payment after your FRA. In that way, you may eventually recover some or all of the benefits withheld by receiving a higher monthly amount for the rest of your life, starting at your full retirement age.

 I suggest you contact Social Security at (800) 772-1213 (or at your local office) and tell the agency you want to provide it with an estimate of your 2023 earnings because you are working and collecting early Social Security benefits. The SSA will work with you to suspend your benefits for an appropriate number of (additional) months to avoid another overpayment situation. Note: you’ll likely need to do this each year you continue to work full time, until the year you reach your FRA when the earnings limit more than doubles. The earnings limit goes away when you reach your FRA.               

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

Your brand is more important than ever, especially for an organization seeking to be recognized over an expanding number of marketing platforms and sales channels. Shifts in the market, mergers and acquisitions, and other company changes also drive brand updates. It’s why 75 percent of companies have undergone a rebrand since 2020.

The reasons why a business may choose to rebrand vary. Maybe it needs to evolve and shift to drive growth. Maybe the organization’s leaders want to reposition their brand within their current market, or to expand into a new space. A recent merger or acquisition might also force a company to rebrand. In this scenario, the acquired business needs to adopt the brand of the company that acquired it. This can sometimes be more challenging if rebranding takes place when employees are getting up to speed with their new organization’s brand and culture. Regardless of the reasons, the rebranding strategy needs to be developed upfront so all stakeholders can have a strong plan for success.

Formulating this strategy is only the first step in a long process. Once the financial analysis, planning, and logistics of the rebrand are complete, you will invariably need help implementing the new brand. A dedicated team can ensure quality control across multiple media in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

There are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of assets to track and update. Think pitch decks, training guides, sell sheets, marketing brochures, email templates for newsletters or executive communications, deal-announcement templates, and product or technique guides ― any assets typically owned in large quantities. A meticulous, thorough approach will be needed to ensure these assets conform to the new brand style.

Along the way, effective project management and clear communication are critical to keep your rebrand on schedule. No organization wants to outsource this work, only to be left with a ton of “homework” and other major time commitments. A thorough implementation process that keeps everything on track will include organization, prep, production, review and approval.

Know before you rebrand

When rebranding, it’s not unusual to be up against some kind of deadline for mergers and acquisitions and any associated regulations. That’s why developing and signing off on a realistic timetable is a crucial first step. Few people are qualified to plot the course for such a massive undertaking, because not many will experience one in their careers. Where to begin?

Start by taking inventory. Inventoried assets can be grouped together by audience, use case, and/or sub-brand. Once groups have been established, these assets can be further sub-grouped by type and relative similarity. A thorough review of each marketing asset is conducted to ensure assets aren’t duplicated or rendered unnecessary by updates to systems or processes.

At this critical first step, try to maximize efficiencies in scale. There are often ways to group materials that allow one set of decisions to apply to a body of work. If you dive in right away without doing the legwork first, you will lose that efficiency.

At this point you can assign each group an implementation roadmap, including timing for checkpoints and reviews. Stakeholders involved with each group should meet to review and approve your production plans, timing, and estimates.

Prepare your assets by creating a project brief for each. Be sure to include details like:

• End-use of the asset. For example, does it need to be printed or output as a pdf?

• Imagery directives/guidelines (i.e., should the assets match existing pieces?).

• Update any content that may be outdated (old images, copy, contact info, or urls).

• Additional branding information beyond what is in the brand guidelines.

Stakeholders may need to approve individual project briefs before production can begin. By this point, you will have an appreciation for the power of effective communication during the rebranding process. Working on such a large project means the client and agency will need to get on the same page quickly, be open and honest, and communicate freely. Consider the cadence of live check-ins, and which communication channels work best. If these are expected, predictable, and reliable, it’s easy to establish trust and a work rhythm to support efficiency. 

Asset production

Once the assets and project briefs have been approved, production can begin. Each asset and brand update must be scheduled and tracked internally. What’s the status of every piece of inventory? Where are they in the stage of updating or review, and what is coming next? What dependencies or contingencies do we need to keep our eyes on? These are the questions that should guide the production stage of the rebranding process.

For each asset group, consider a weekly status call with client stakeholders and other agency partners. Share a status-tracker document for visibility to all active and upcoming assets. Provide a written weekly progress update, identifying any risks or needs. Schedule ad-hoc meetings to address issues outside of the status calls. Keep the brand-management team on call to ensure proper interpretation and application of the brand.

It’s typical to have a lot of balls in the air at the same time. One batch of assets might be with the legal team while the design team is tackling another batch. Another batch might get sent back to the product team based on feedback. Organization is key to keep each of these balls in the air.

Asset approval

After all assets have been approved by the appropriate stakeholders, the rebranding agency should collect and deliver the final files exactly how and when you agreed. A few keys to keep in mind at this stage are the following:

• Digital file and folder-naming conventions should follow the approved structure

• Files should be provided based on end-use needs (e.g., print-ready .pdfs or digital .pdfs)

• Store a second copy of all files on a secure server as a backup

Once a phase of assets is completed, the same process can be used for any future phases. By now, you should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions: Is our brand ready to activate? Have we finished more than just a logo, font, and basic color palette? Have we ensured quality and consistency? 

No one wants to complete a big chunk of work only to get blasted by a brand panel or legal team. Thinking through this extra step can prevent later rounds of edits or having to start over altogether.

Launching a brand is not an easy undertaking. Significant effort and resources go into rebranding. In fact, so much energy goes into this effort that many companies lose steam while building the asset-update plan. Creating a solid launch plan will ensure that the work that went into creating the new brand won’t fall flat once it hits the market.      

Brian Bekins is the creative director at ddm marketing + communications, a marketing agency for highly complex and highly regulated industries.