Celticharper

A few years ago we stayed in a rather dodgy small hotel in France where they wanted to keep my passport as security that they would get the key back. Rather than trust them with my PP I gave them my "Official American ID Card" read my SS Card.

Now I know it is common practice to leave your PP with the hotel management, in this place I didn't trust them to get out of bed early enough to return it before we left in the morning. I was right on all counts, I had to pick up my SS card on our way back through the village a few days later. But I'd rather lose the SS card than my Passport.

Sue4

I didn't know it was common practice to leave your passport with the hotel management. I've stayed in lots of hotels throughout France and have never been asked to do that. I wouldn't like it at all!

J_Correa

On the keeping or changing your name issue - I am just happy to be living in a time and place where we have a choice. I chose to change my name and am happy with my decision. I never much cared for my maiden name and didn't have a heck of a lot of my identity tied up in it. My mom, on the other hand, always resented having to change her name when she married - I think technically she didn't have to, but societal convention being was it was and so on, she didn't feel she had a choice.

ira

Hi Neo,

Thank you for the correction.

I did, indeed, misspeak.

SS now pays benefits based on your individual work record first.

If your earned benefits are less than 1/2 of your spouse's benefits, you receive the higher amount.

For those of you young persons worried about if SS will exist in 30 years, I suggest that you have been listening to too much neo-con propaganda.

Write your member of congress and senators and tell them that you want the cap on taxable income removed. That will put SS in the black forever.

sandi

Goodness, didn't think the one comment re SS benefits would bring all those posts. It was simply a point of reference.

You don't have to change your name, for anything, but to have in the case of lennyba the ticket and passport should match.

As to SS benefits, it's not only the retirement amounts, but for widows, young children and disability, where SS should know who belongs to whom.

lennyba - have a great trip.

LoveItaly

Ira, I agree with you, if the cap on income was removed SS would be in much better shape.

BTW, I read a new law has been passed. Anyone with Medicare that has an income over $80,000.00 for a single person and $160,000 (or maybe it was $150,000.00) will have more deducted from their SS check. Sounds like it will be on a sliding scale. Anyone under that income limit will only have Medicare premiums deducted in the amount that is deducted now plus the small increase. Think in 2007 that will be $92.50.

Regarding SS payments in the future and whether they will be available or not, I remember back in the 1970's there was a lot of "talk" about SS would not be able to continue with the SS payments for retirees. Same old news, guess only time will tell.

Nikki

Yup, this is why I didn't change my name. At the time, I thought nobody would ever change their name upon marriage again. I can frequently identify a person's age and to some extent background upon learning that she belongs to the very tiny stratum of society composed of those of us who believed this. Although if Neo is observing an upswing in this tendency, perhaps the times are changing.

Neopolitan

I'm not sure if it is an upswing or not. I guess I thought that the vast majority of couples today do take the same last name. Lots of my friends kept their maiden names, but then a lot of them are in theatre (LOL). And I must admit that those three recent couples (landlords) were all Californians --and we know how those Californians are!!!

LoveItaly

How are we Neo ??

If I had it to do over again, with all due respect to my dear late husband, I would have kept my maiden name. But when I got married everyone would have been "horrified" if I hadn't changed my name.

RufusTFirefly

In much of Asia, women keep their maiden name. And we know how liberated most Asian women are compared to western women!

J_Correa

ira - I stay as far from the neo-con propaganda as humanly possible. With retirement, I am just hedging my bets. I want to have a comfy retirement and enjoy myself and I don't want unfulfilled promises screwing up my plans. So, I plan for retirement as if SS will not be there for me. Then whatever is there will make my retirement that much more comfortable.

merrittm

Your ticket and your passport must match, as was said before. One reason to change to your married name (after your emergency) is the way airlines handle different named passengers. My husband and I found that we would often get reassigned seats apart from eachother because our names were different and we were not considered to be traveling together. This happened once to often and I changed my name so I wouldn't have this happen again. It also saves you from having to carry around a certified copy of your marraige certificate to prove spousal rights in the event of an emergency. Been married 17 years and still haven't changed every bill or little piece of paper to reflect my status change. Can't be bothered (eg phone bill's still in the maiden name)

merrittm

Forgot to add that we traveled together on business trips with reservations made by our separate companies' travel departments. When we traveled for pleasure, this was not a problem.