Welcome And The Adulting Problem

Welcome to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Wallace. Have you ever felt like you didn't receive the how-to brochure on life? That you didn't get enough guidance about major life issues? So did I. You don't have to be an only child to feel this way. In my podcast, we'll explore some of the best ways to better navigate adulthood while doing so with humor and light. Welcome everyone to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. Today, I'm going to talk to you about taxes, but I'm also going to talk to you about creating your social security login. And I'm going to I'm I'm absolutely delirious because I have been chasing down my husband's social security statement for gosh, I think about two weeks. And I'll tell you that it has real it has been unbelievable. And when I finally cracked the code tonight, I started crying. And at the same time, I wonder now with this new regime in the Social Security office, how people who do not have like technological skills and don't have maybe the wherewithal to jump through all these hoops are able to do this. So let me explain. You know, in the late spring, you know, the annual dinner, the fundraising dinner. And so this year I told myself, because I always end up asking to file an extension for the taxes. And this year I said, look, I'm not gonna do that. I'm just gonna put on my big girl pants and I'm going to get the stuff together. And so I started working on it like two weekends ago. And instead of going out and working in my garden on a Saturday, which is what I would rather do, I sat here with my laptop and I started downloading things. And what I couldn't download, I said, okay, I'm gonna have to look for that. I'm gonna have to look for that. Now, the Solstice Security Statement for my husband, did it come in the mail? I'm not sure. I know it's something that I always need to be on the lookout for. I don't think I ever saw it. But you can create a login online and you can download it easily, easily, easily. That's the keyword, easily. And I'm gonna tell you it's not easy. There's nothing about it that's easy. Okay. I have my own login. And here's what happened is that recently, if you follow the news at all, you know that Elon Musk came in, and whoever else came in, and they decided that social security was not secure enough, and they had to put up more safeguards, if you will, if that's the right word, to make sure that the people that were accessing benefits were really living people, I guess. I I don't know how else to say it, but that's my take on it. So you had to create a new login, and the process to do that is more complex because they want to make sure that you are you and that you're alive. I get it. Okay. Well, I was able to create my login, but I'm not on social security yet. I just, you know, like to check if they're getting my wages and what my benefits would be down the road when I do take my social security, right? I mean, it's just all a moot point because I'm not ready to retire, quote unquote, retire. Okay. So I went to create my husband's profile. And here's what happens. If you're not familiar with it, here's what happens: you go in and you put your name and your address in, and you create a username and password. Then you give a cell phone and they text you a link, and you scan your ID, whether it's your driver's license, your state ID card, your passport, whatever. I think it's your passport, but it's definitely your state ID or your state driver's license. Okay. And you have to scan the front of it, and then you have to scan the back of it. And it takes a picture, and then it probably runs through some system, and then it says, Okay, you're submitted and you're you're justified. We we accept this as a valid ID. Okay. Next, you have to take a selfie with their you're still on your phone, and the screen comes up, and you have to take a selfie, and it directs you where to look and how to tilt it and everything, and you take a picture of yourself and then you submit that. And then I'm assuming that it doesn't tell me this, but I'm assuming that it matches your selfie to the picture on your ID. Right? Okay. Next, it asks for your social security number. So we did that. I did it. I has been sitting close by watching, and then it, you know, says, okay, it matches up and it processes it and it says, okay. Now, and I'm thinking this is the easy part. This is the easy part. I've gone through all this. The hard let me tell you, the hard part was uh, you know, my husband taking the selfie because the way that the app is, or whatever they do with it, um, he kept looking like his eyes were closed. And it's it just it's funky. But anyway, okay. So now I'm thinking they verified his ID, they verified the picture on the ID with the picture that is him. I, you know, they had asked for a phone, a cell phone, so I gave them his cell phone. So the link went to him on his cell phone. I'm thinking I'm feeling good about this, right? So then it asks to verify the phone number that is associated with the person, with him. So I put in the cell phone number that we just used for the link, for the selfie, for the ID, and it says, no, that phone number cannot be linked to is not linked to you. And I was like, what? Because they want to they want to text you a code. But you just you just sent a link on that same number to take the ID and the okay, all right. So then I tried my number, I tried another cell phone number that we had, none of them worked. I can only assume that because the cell cellular um phones are in my name, I started the account that for whatever reason they match the account holder to the cell number. I I don't know. I don't know what else to think. Okay. So I put in, and you get only you only get so many tries. That's the other part. So I put in the home number, the landline number, and it said yes, that they they would accept that number. The problem being that we don't have a hookup for the landline number. I've kept paying on the landline number through my cellular provider. I know, and you're gonna think I'm stupid, but the only phone calls that we get on that are do you need a new roof? Will you donate to the police and firemen's fund? It's all spam calls. But most of our accounts, like our prescriptions and everything, everything that we've done, that everything that I set up before is tied to that phone number. So for$20 a month, I could keep the phone number, it goes wherever it goes, and fine. And yeah, at some point, my cellular provider sent me a box, but I never plugged it in because I didn't want my phone to be ringing at all hours of the day and night. So I had to stop and think about this. And a few days later, I went back in and I looked, and it said that you could actually verify your identity by going to the post office. Now, here's a great idea, here's a great plan. So we I clicked on that link. Okay, have to go through the whole thing again, have to send the link, scan the ID, verify the ID, take a selfie, um, verify the address, put in your social security number, and and it asks you which post office are you closest to? Which post office are you gonna go to? Okay. So the last step is yes, you guessed it, verify the phone number. So what's the point? They're gonna send you a barcode, they're gonna have a person there that's gonna look at your ID, is gonna look at your face, is gonna look at your ID and say, This is the person, right? Who cares about a phone number? Why is it why does it have to be tied to a phone number? There's no there's no link that says I don't have this phone number. It has to be some phone number that maybe you don't even have anymore. Maybe you don't even have a phone, period. So I thought about this. We both thought about it. Couldn't go to the post office, don't have the phone. Okay. So, I mean, how ridiculous is this? Well, I was thinking, somewhere in this house is the box that my cellular provider sent me. And when I was getting ready for my knee surgery, my partial knee replacements, my friend came over. Now, this was two years ago, and she organized things for me, but she moved things around. And I get in trouble when people that aren't me move my things around. I mean, maybe this happens to you too. I was really grateful for her help, but things got moved around. If I don't move them, I don't remember where they are. Okay. Well, I've you know, I last week was a really busy week, and I didn't have any time to really look through the house. And granted, we have a lot of stuff to look through. And so Saturday, yesterday, I said, look, I'm gonna go through all this stuff. I'm gonna find it. It's here. Well, took my I took my my high-dose Motron and got myself together and I went through so many things. I pulled some stuff out to put in the trash or the recycle bin. I pulled some stuff out to donate. I um I also am really excited because this coming Friday, they're having a free shredding event, and there's so many boxes of stuff that I can take, like old bills and statements and credit card offers and things that I've been hesitant to just throw in the trash. And I'm gonna put all that together, I'm gonna take it to this free shredding event because I am a little bit controlling about throwing out stuff that people could steal my identity, right? Okay, so that being said, so all that's put to the side. Got to the end of the day, my back is killing me, still haven't found it. Okay, so I decided to call my cellular provider, and I'm intentionally not saying who they are because I don't want to give them a bad name. I love my cellular provider. I I really I I really do, but but sometimes it's really difficult to communicate with them on the phone or in this case on the chat. Okay, I I I couldn't talk to anybody on the phone, so I had to get on the chat. I didn't want to talk to AI, so I asked for a representative and I got somebody. And really, what should have been a five-minute conversation turned out to be a 45-minute back and forth texting chat session. And I was asking this person, I think it was a woman, but I was asking this person if there was any way that I could forward the number because I have to get this landline in order to confirm that this person is really my husband, I have to be able to accept a call and get the code that the phone system is gonna tell me to verify him and get a social security login. Okay. So I asked, is there any way to forward the number? She didn't say anything on that, she didn't pick anything up about that. But what she did say is that they could replace the box for the home number, right? And she asked me where I live, she asked me my zip code, and she told me that I could go to the local mall, which I didn't really want to do. I didn't on a Sunday afternoon. I it's the last place I want to go where the whole of humanity goes to shop and eat and entertain themselves, right? This is the last place I wanted to go. I cruise through the parking lot for like 20 minutes before I found a decent parking space. And I go in and she's so she said, Yes, the the device is gonna be there at two o'clock. You can go in. Well, I go in, I find the store, and I go in, and it's obvious that I'm gonna have to wait my turn. And you know, there's I said, Oh, what's I finally got the attention of somebody. I said, What is the wait time? And they said, Well, we're um until seven, and it was like 2 30. Now, this is not helpful to me, right? This is not helpful, you're not making me feel good. Um, you're not you're not giving me a lot of confidence. Anyway, in probably within another 30 minutes, the other guy came up to me, asked me some questions, looked on the account, and said, We don't have anything ordered for you. At which point I wanted to do someone some physical harm or yell or scream, but I didn't. I didn't. I just, I just um I swallowed whatever negative feelings I had about the whole situation. And I left the store and I no, I'm kidding. I really didn't want to do anyone any physical harm because that really wouldn't be the um that really wouldn't be the solution, would it? But I was pretty upset. And it just felt like, you know, a waste of time, and it felt like really not very good customer service on anyone's part. Um and certainly that 45-minute chat was definitely a waste of time. And he said, these things have to be ordered. You need to go to the corporate store, which is in the next town, right? And they're always busy, the corporate store. And that's where I got my new phone recently. And I know that, but I was, you know, thinking that this would actually work. So I came home and I ate something, and you know, it you always feel better after you eat, right? Okay, so I remembered that when I got my phone a couple weeks ago, the the salesman gave me his business card, and I thought, okay, I'm gonna text him and ask him before I go over there, which is another shopping area on a Sunday afternoon. But there's restaurants, so I'd get the dinner crowd. I don't want to do that. Um, so I texted him and I he texted me back. He said, Look, we don't even have those things in stock. You'd have to order it. And I and you can order it, but it's gonna cost you$100. Another deep breath. Okay, so I at this point I felt so defeated. And my husband just said, Look, why don't you why don't we just file an extension? Just, you know, so easy. Just file an extension. Well, I could have done that like two weeks ago, but really trying to keep my eye on the prize and keep the goal in mind, and here we go. So I said, Look, I'm just gonna keep looking. This is ridiculous. I mean, either way, if I don't find it or I do order it, I'm still gonna have to file an extension. So I'm just, you know, this one thing I'm waiting for, I'm looking for. So I just said, I'm gonna go look. Some more. Took another Motron, 800. And um wouldn't you know it? That the box had been staring at us pretty much the whole time. I looked down and I saw I saw this little black box with white letters that said home wireless unit. And I was like, wait, what? Wait. What? So so we f I found it. I brought it in, we opened it. Now it was my understanding you just plug it in, and then you plug your phone into the box, and you're ready to go. Well, no, you've got to stay. Stick a battery in it. The battery fortunately comes in the box. It's it's a different kind of it's not a regular battery, it's like a you know phone battery. But then poor Bill was having trouble getting the the um door off the unit. I don't know how he did it. I I looked at it and there's no way because my thumbs are so sore from all the texting and all the things that I've done through my life that there's no way that I could have gotten the door off. And he got it off, and finally we got the battery in. And if you plug it in, I'm not sure why it needs a battery, but I'm not even gonna go there. Plugged it in, and then I realized that my mom's old phone had been unplugged for all this years, so had to plug that in to charge that up so that you know you could pick up the handheld device and it would actually say something. Got the laptop out, went through the whole thing again, you know, scanned his ID front and back, had him take a selfie, put in his social security number, got to the phone number part, put in the phone number, you know, send code. Didn't hear the phone. Didn't hear the phone. Are you kidding me? I didn't hear the phone. And I went over there and it said one missed call. And I was like, wait, I didn't hear it. So asked it to send a code again. So then this time I heard it. And then luckily I had taken the computer with me, or I would have needed pen and paper because it's a 10-digit digit code. So I mean it repeats it, but you know, zero, one, four, three, nine, eight. Okay, can you slow down a little bit? Anyway, so got the code in, and you know, voila, there you are, simple as pie, right? Um, it allowed me to log in again, and there it is, downloaded the statement. I yes, I cried, I literally cried for joy, and so I sat here quietly, put all the stuff together, and emailed the accountant, and I couldn't be happier, believe me, I really couldn't, and with three days to go until the tax deadline. But I just I really feel sorry for people that maybe have to do this on their own and they're not technological, or they have to go in to the office and sit there all day to talk to a person. You know, I think it's much harder to do all this than it used to be. I don't know how much quote unquote fraud there was, but I mean this has nothing to do with fraud, it's just getting a statement, getting a login. So however you want to look at that, um is what it is. And uh so I'm much relieved that that is off my plate, at least. I don't know if the accountant can do it in the next three days, but um if he can't, he can't, and that's fine. Um, that is fine, but it's off my plate. And for that, I'm incredibly grateful. Before I go, I want to say thank you to all of our new listeners. Welcome. We have had really a surge of downloads from all over the country. We've picked up several new countries that hadn't listened before and several new cities, um, dozens of cities, actually. Um, so a handful of countries, but dozens of cities. So I just want to welcome everybody to the Only Child Diaries. And next week, well, we'll tackle another topic together. I hope you'll join me. If you like this episode, please follow the Only Child Diaries Podcast on Apple Podcasts or other platforms you might listen on. And consider rating Only Child Diaries and writing a review. It helps others to find us. Please share it with a friend you think might like it as well. Visit my Instagram page, Only Child Diaries, or Facebook, Only Child Diaries Podcast. Thanks for listening. I'm Tracy Wallace, and these are the Only Child Diaries.