The Social Security claiming guides.
Six plain-English guides to the one decision that sets your Social Security income for life: the age you first claim. Each one works straight from the Social Security Administration's own rules and links to the ssa.gov page you can check yourself. These are educational, not financial advice.
When should you claim Social Security? 62 vs full retirement age vs 70
The three anchor ages, what each one does to your monthly check, and how to think about which fits your health, your savings, and your plans.
How much you give up by claiming Social Security at 62
The permanent 30 percent cut when your full retirement age is 67, where the 5/9 and 5/12 of one percent reduction comes from, and when claiming early is still the right call.
Delayed retirement credits: the 8% a year, explained
How waiting past full retirement age raises your check by 8 percent a year, why the credits stop at 70, and the monthly-accrual detail most people miss.
Social Security spousal and survivor benefits: the timing that protects your spouse
Why the higher earner's claiming age sets the survivor benefit for the rest of a widow or widower's life, and how spousal benefits work while both of you are living.
The break-even age: when waiting to claim actually pays off
The age at which a larger, later check overtakes years of smaller early ones in total dollars, how to estimate yours, and why longevity is the deciding factor.
Claiming Social Security at 62 vs 67 vs 70: the real tradeoff
Why the best age to take Social Security is mostly a bet on longevity, what each age does to your check, and the four factors, health, work, a spouse, and cash needs, that actually decide it.
Read the guides, then get your own number.
The guides are free and general. The report runs the same rules against your benefit, your birth year, and your longevity view, and names the claiming age that leaves you the most.
Get your Social Security Timing Report · $19