As life expectancy has grown, your retirement now can last between 20 and 30 years. So Social Security planning is critical. No matter how much money you have, it can make a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, if you retire at age 62 and pass away at age 86, you’ll receive at least 25% less for 24 years. But if you wait to retire at age 70, you’ll receive 32% more for 16 years. If your retirement income at age 66 was 2,000 dollars per month, this could be a difference of over 200,000 dollars during your lifetime. Arriving at a decision on when to retire is not easy.
If you retire early, it could affect your spouse’s benefits and wages and other taxable income could cause up to 85% of your Social Security benefits to be exposed to income taxes. Proper planning takes all of these factors into account to determine a Social Security strategy. For instance, a repositioning of assets could reduce taxable income and provide for more reliable monthly income with over 500 different combinations of factors affecting benefits. It makes sense to talk to a financial adviser and get it right.
