Yahoo Finance How Big Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Social Security Check?
All presidential candidates can expect a certain amount of attention while on the campaign trail. But when your last name is Kennedy, the spotlight gets a bit more intense.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the son of the late-U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of America’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy. Hoping his family’s name carries weight with voters, RFK Jr. is running as an independent after abandoning his presidential campaign as a Democrat in October 2023.
We’re just learning where certain candidates stand on the key issues important to the American public. When it comes to Social Security, for example, we only know that Kennedy Jr. is against raising the retirement age for the program. According to iSideWith.com, RFK Jr. said on the matter: “No, this will disadvantage low income seniors whose life expectancy is lower than wealthier seniors.”
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Does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Claim Social Security?
But does RFK Jr. collect Social Security checks? It’s worth examining.
Forbes estimated the net worth of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, to rest around $15 million as of 2023. This mainly comes from both of their salaries — his as an environmental lawyer and hers as a popular actor. Surprisingly, not a great deal comes from family money, though there are various inheritances, investments, trusts and real estate stakes, Forbes notes.
In June 2023, when he was still challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, Kennedy filed a financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) claiming an income of $7.8 million in the year leading up to his entry in the presidential race.
About $5 million of this total was earned at his law firm, Kennedy & Madonna, $516,000 was a salary and bonus as chairman and chief legal counsel of the nonprofit, vaccine-critical group Children’s Health Defense and the rest was consulting fee — including $1.6 million from Wisner Baum, $150,000 from the Marwood Group and $125,000 from his publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, according to the New York Times.
Impossible To Say on the Social Security Matter
There’s no denying that Kennedy and family are rich, but we’re no closer to knowing whether or not Kennedy Jr. collects Social Security checks.
Most individuals that pay into the Social Security system are entitled to claim benefits, regardless of their income. However, some very wealthy individuals simply forgo collecting Social Security altogether, feeling they don’t need the added income — or that it would be socially irresponsible to claim the benefit.
Whether that is the case with Kennedy Jr., we can only speculate at this time. If he is getting Social Security checks, they are significant.
With an estimated net worth of $15 million and income streams galore, RFK Jr. would certainly be receiving the maximum monthly benefit of $4,873 in 2024 if he had started claiming Social Security benefits when he turned 70 on Jan. 17, 2024. This assumes he earned the maximum pay contributing to Social Security for 35 years.
Because Kennedy Jr. makes more than Social Security maximum of $168,600, the Social Security withheld from his paycheck would have also been the maximum amount, $10,453.20. Should he have an uncharacteristic change of heart about running for president and unexpectedly retire this year, he’ll receive an additional $58,476 starting this year — if he chose to claim Social Security.
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