Excuse Me, Can I Vent?

Sometimes I just scratch my head in confusion. Why are some things the way they are? What is the rationalization? Maybe it's just that I don't get it. Here's a couple questions I would like answers to. Thanks for letting me vent.

I am now at that age where I can receive Social Security benefits and Medicare. I tend to do a lot of reading up on stuff I don't understand completely before moving forward. For example, before I purchase an item that going to cost me a lot of money, such as a vehicle, flat screen television, mobile phone or a new laptop, I check over the specs again and again to make sure it's what I really want and it will meet my needs.

Next, I look at the reviews. I want to know what others who have purchased the item think about it now that they own it. I really should not pay attention to those reviews, since it's a personal opinion and may not represent how I will or will not like the product.

Anyway, as for Medicare, it was a bit confusing for me trying to understand what I needed to sign up for and what I can do without, even though there were instructions that not signing up for Part B around my birthday could mean delays and penalties when I am ready to sign up for that part.

It all hinges on if you have insurance coverage where you work, if you do work, which I do. I think this explanation should have been at the beginning of the explanations, not buried below, scaring me into thinking I need to buy more insurance when in fact, I don't.

At the same time I signed up for Medicare, I got myself registered through the Social Security website to be ready for the future when I retire and need the benefits. I filled out all the required lines and created a username and password as instructed. I always keep my usernames and passwords in a safe place. Some are just in my head, which now that I think of it, is probably not the best course of action.

Well, it's been under a month since I signed up, and earlier this week I tried to log in. Nope. Wrong password. I double-checked what I had written down, and it was the same. I tried a second time, and then a third time. Yes, the username was correct. After the third attempt, I was locked out of the system for 24 hours.

24 hours later, I tried again. No luck on the first try. I then clicked on 'forgot password.' It took me to a different page asking for a couple of questions which I answered correctly to send me a code to reset my password. Unfortunately, the Social Security site basically told me that it didn't recognize me, and there was no option to move beyond that. How is that possible?

When the time comes for me to begin taking Social Security payments, will I be denied because it doesn't know who I am, even though I took all the steps to register? For the past five decades there has never been an issue of Social Security finding my paychecks to take out their slice of my money.

These are a few of the things that keep me awake at night. Or am I just becoming one of those grumpy old men who's motto is now "Get off my lawn!"