Who We Are
With 9,000 possible claiming options to choose from, a Social Security Administration known for giving conflicting answers, and hundreds of thousand of dollars on the line… How do you know that you’re maximizing your Social Security Benefits?
Social Security Education Center’s purpose is to educate Americans on their benefit options. There’s no one right or wrong way to claim benefits, but we find when people are educated, they are confident that they are making the right decision for themselves.

“Social Security is about as complicated a fiscal system as is humanly possible to design.”
-Laurence Kotlikoff, Boston University Economics Professor
What People Are Saying...
-Bobbi W
“I loved that Matt was a CPA and that he makes difficult things simple to understand…
I appreciated the touches of humor and first-hand stories he was able to share.”
-Shauna G
“Cannot recommend enough… Matt is so knowledgeable, kind, and helpful! His passion and enthusiasm (and humor!) are contagious”
– Devon N
WHAT WE DO
About SSEC
Social Security Education Center, a not-for-profit corporation, was created by 2 CPAs who noticed an enormous gap in the planning of their retirement-age clients: Social Security makes up a large chunk of most Americans’ retirements; however, most Americans don’t have any sort of plan or strategy for how to claim Social Security benefits.
SSEC is dedicated to educating those approaching Social Security age about their options so that they can strategize and maximize what they receive from Social Security. Our classes are strictly educational and are taught in various libraries and community centers across the state of Colorado.
Our Mission
The Hope

Matt Johnson, CPA

Richard Staves, CPA, PFS, CRPC ®, AIF ®
Richard Staves is an experienced retirement and financial planner and is currently the Managing Member of Cherry Creek Wealth Management, Inc. The focus of his practice is assisting individuals in designing a lifetime retirement plan using annuities, life insurance, investments and maximizing Social Security while at the same time, reducing income taxes.
FREE TO ATTEND
Social Security 101 - Live Workshops
For many Americans, Social Security makes up a significant piece of their retirement. The value of a stream of monthly payments over the course of a married couple’s retirement is oftentimes well over $1 Million! Because of this, it is critical to have a plan and to have a strategy before you ever decide to turn on your Social Security benefits. That is what this workshop is dedicated to… helping you to formulate a plan and a strategy.
Location
Date
Address
Presenter
Registration
Frisco, TX
Tues: March 4th, 6:00pm
-or-
Tues: March 11th, 6:00pm
Frisco Public Library
Community Room A/B
8000 Dallas Parkway
Frisco, TX 75034
John Congdon
Highlands Ranch, CO
Thurs: March 20th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
-or-
Sat: March 22nd, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Highlands Ranch Library
9292 South Ridgeline Boulevard Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
Matt Johnson
Downers Grove, IL
Thursday: March 27th, 11:30am
-or-
Monday: March 31st, 6:30pm
Downers Grove Rec Center
4500 Belmont Road
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Joshua Bretl
Carol Stream, IL
Tuesday, April 8th, 11:30am
-or-
Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30pm
-or-
Thursday, April 10th, 6:30pm
Fountain View Rec Center
910 North Gary Avenue
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Joshua Bretl
Littleton, CO
Tues: April 15th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
-or-
Thurs: April 17th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Peak Community & Wellness Center
6612 S Ward St Littleton, CO 80127
Matt Johnson
Learning Center
Check out some of our blogs below!

Early or Delay?
The main question on everybody’s mind… here are some arguments for delaying and some arguments for taking early.

9,000 Social Security Options to Choose from…

Will Social Security Go Bankrupt?
One of the most common questions we get these days, and for good reason. But the truth is there’s a lot more reason to be positive than the media would have us believe.