The $5,181 Social Security Check Is Real — Here’s the Earnings You’d Need To Get It

Social Security payments land on Wednesdays — with which week of the month dependent on your birthday — and a small share of those deposits hit the program’s ceiling of $5,181. The figure is legitimate — it’s just extraordinarily hard to reach. The maximum benefit is the product of two separate hurdles most people underestimate, and clearing one without the other still leave you short. To collect the maximum, the Social Security Administration requires two things. First, you must have earned at or above the program's taxable maximum in each of your 35 highest-earning years. Second, you must wait until age 70 to claim benefits. Fail either test and the $5,181 figure is off the table. Claiming at 62 instead of 70 chops the maximum roughly in half, forever. While commenters on social media thought the figure had to be a mistake, it's real. Many ultra-wealthy individuals make their money through stock holdings or capital gains, which do not count as "earned income" for Social Security. However, if they took a formal salary or worked regular jobs taxable under the system for 35 years, they qualify. When famous figures like Brad Pitt and Jamie Lee Curtis reach their age of eligibility, whether they actually apply for and collect their monthly checks is a personal choice protected by privacy laws.

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The Couple Who Had To Break the Law To Make Sure They Weren’t Siblings

For years, Arthur Kermalvezen, the child of a sperm donor, saw possible fathers everywhere he went in his home town of Paris. When, as an adult, he fell in love with Audrey, another sperm donor baby from Paris, the question became even more pressing. When they were born, there were only two sperm banks in Paris and many men had made multiple donations, so there was a real possibility that they could be half-siblings. Before building a life together, Arthur and Audrey needed to know whether they were related, but in France only a research scientist, doctor or judge can order a genetic test. Violators can be fined more than €3,500 ($4,288) for possessing a home testing kit. Audrey, who is an attorney who specializes in bioethics law, was determined to act within the law. After three years of legal challenges, the couple took a leap of faith and got married. Shortly before the birth of their first child, a doctor agreed to investigate what information might exist about their respective donors. Under French law, a medical practitioner has access to this information about their patients, but is not allowed to share it with them. The doctor found that their donors were born in different years, and so could not be the same man. It was a life-changing piece of information, but one they only gained because the doctor agreed to break the rules. Even with this new information, Arthur still worried that they could be related, so after years of resisting it, they finally took a home DNA test. Audrey finally found out who her biological father was, but he had already died, and Arthur made contact with his biological father in 2017. For now, however, France remains one of the few countries in Europe where at-home DNA testing is still prohibited.

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“Duck Run” Pest Control is Catching on in South Africa’s Winelands

At 9:00 a.m. the upright and flightless Indian Runner ducks charge out of their pens on a farm near the Stellenbosch wine-producing area outside Cape Town, South Africa, and head to work. After a rapid but brief forage for aphids, worms and snails near the homestead and restaurant, they move into the vineyards for the rest of the day. Vergenoegd Low Wine Estate is just one of the vineyards that has begun using ducks instead of pesticides. The farm introduced the practice around 40 years ago. Now between five and 10 surrounding farms purchase ducks from the farm. There are around 890 ducks on the property, with 400 hatchlings expected over the breeding season from mid-July to the end of October. Indian Runner ducks were originally bred in Indonesia to control pests in rice paddies. Their long necks allow them to reach pests on the raised, trellised vines. They’re also handy in breaking down the manure of the 220 sheep and nearly 100 cattle that graze in the vineyard, another regenerative farming practice that leaves the soil nutrient-rich. When there are grapes on the vines, the ducks are kept away to avoid them being tempted by the fruit, and diverted to the four irrigation dams. The impressive daily duck run has also become a draw for visitors.

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Dogs Provide Security and Comfort at Busy Train Station

London’s Waterloo station has become the first major train hub in Britain to employ dogs on regular patrols. Canine caretakers Riley, Buster and Flo are providing additional reassurance to passengers as part of a 3-month trial. The pups — two Cocker Spaniels and a Labrador — were deployed by South Western Railway (SWR) and NR Wessex, partnering with Alpha Canine Specialists. The dogs — ages 9, 10 and 11 — will be going into retirement after this, their final deployment. The dogs are intended to act as a visual deterrent and a part of a wider program designed to keep passengers and employees safe. Other recent measures include launching a better CCTV system and investing in an outreach worker who engages with vulnerable young people.

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