Genealogy Blog Family History

Ancestry.com Releases Family Tree Maker 2010Posted by Administrator on August 20th, 2009

That’s right, Ancestry.com released its much-anticipated new version of Family Tree Maker yesterday. With enhanced media and integration with Ancestry.com’s online tools, it looks to be a huge improvement on the 20-year-old series.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Family Tree Maker 2010 pulls all photos and attached info from the website in one fell swoop.
• Users can easily organize photos into slideshows, keepsake books, and other media presentations.
• Users can "view timelines and interactive maps highlighting events and places in your ancestors’ lives." How cool is that!
• Family Tree Maker 2010 allows users to map their family history using Microsoft’s new Bing search engine.

At an affordable $39.95, Ancestry.com’s Family Tree Maker 2010 is sure to have family history buffs foaming at the mouth (figuratively speaking, of course). I can’t wait to get my hands on this hot software package and give it a spin. If you’ve already used it, tell us how it went. Come on, don’t be stingy…

Social security death benefitsPosted by Administrator on August 20th, 2009

When a loved one passes away, their Social Security Death Benefits can be collected by their surviving relatives. Monthly survivors benefits can be paid to certain family members, including the beneficiary’s widow or widower, dependent children and dependent parents.

According to the Social Security Administration website, a one-time payment of $255 is payable to the surviving spouse if he or she was living with the beneficiary at the time of death. If they were living apart, the surviving spouse is eligible for Social Security benefits on the beneficiary’s earnings record for the month of death.

If there is no surviving spouse, the beneficiary’s child can collect the benefits on the beneficiary’s earnings record in the month of their death.

To claim these benefits, family members or whoever is managing the beneficiary’s affairs should:

• Promptly notify Social Security of the beneficiary’s death by calling SSA toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. (TTY 1-800-325-0778.)
• If monthly benefits were being paid via direct deposit, notify the bank or other financial institution of the beneficiary’s death. Request that any funds received for the month of death and later be returned to Social Security as soon as possible.
• If benefits were being paid by check, DO NOT CASH any checks received for the month in which the beneficiary died or thereafter. Return the checks to Social Security as soon as possible.

Social security administrationPosted by Administrator on August 20th, 2009

Headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland, the Social Security Administration of the United States of America was created by the federal government to administer a social insurance program that gives retirement, survivors’, and disability benefits to American workers. This program is paid for by Social Security taxes collected from American workers’ paychecks during their working lives.

The Social Security Administration includes 10 regional offices, 8 processing centers, 1300 field offices, and 37 Teleservice centers. It employs a whopping 62,000 people to run its operations and is the biggest social welfare program in the country.