Securely taking Social Security
It surely is one of the most difficult and consequential of decisions for Baby Boomers: When can I retire and, more importantly, when should I start collecting my Social Security benefits.
Well, a writer at CNN.com (of all places) has done some of the heavy lifting for us:
"Say you want to retire at 62 and would draw a Social Security benefit of $1,125 a month. That's 25 percent less than the $1,500 you would collect if you waited until age 66.
"By age 77 and 11 months (let's call it 78) you'd have collected roughly $216,000 in total benefits, whether you opted for early benefits ($1,125 x 192 months from ages 62 until 78) or full retirement age benefits ($1,500 x 144 months from ages 66 until 78).
"But your break-even age is actually later when you factor in the investment value of your early benefits. Even if you don't invest those early benefits directly, taking them might mean you can leave other savings to keep growing. That could add three to five years to your break-even point...."
She even linked to the Social Security Administration's breakeven calculator.
The full piece is here. It is worth your time.
2 comments:
Ironically, I just called my accountant today asking the same questions that were answered in that article. I turned 62 earlier this year and opted to take the early payments. (I have never received a nickel from the gov't for unemployment or whatever) I just couldn't wait to get money from the feds. Anyway, this info is good to have and I would recommend the readers here print the article and use it for reference when the time comes.
very useful--both the calculator and the piece.
It's a big concern to all of us of a certain age.
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