Maurie Backman

Most retirees will make their Social Security claiming decision exactly once, which is why Maurie Backman has spent more than 20 years helping them understand it. She covers benefit calculations, COLA forecasts, and the policy changes that quietly reshape what retirees receive each month, from how to boost a benefit by claiming at the right time to what Washington's latest proposals could mean for future checks.

She paid off her student loans in full within six months of graduating college. That kind of early financial discipline informs her belief that paying yourself first is the foundation of everything else. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger, The Motley Fool, 24/7 Wall St., Moneywise, Bankrate, and U.S. News & World Report. She holds a B.A. from Binghamton University.