Three or four scenarios, not one
We model claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70 against your actual benefit, your spouse's benefit, your other income, and your health and longevity assumptions.
Social Security optimization modeled around your actual numbers: when to claim, how spousal and survivor benefits work, and how the timing fits the broader withdrawal sequence.
We model claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70 against your actual benefit, your spouse's benefit, your other income, and your health and longevity assumptions.
Married couples have more levers than single filers. Who claims when, what spousal benefit applies, and what the survivor benefit math says all matter.
Social Security is one income source among several. The right claim age depends on what else is funding the early retirement years.
Up to 85% of Social Security can be taxable depending on your other income. We coordinate the claim with Roth conversion strategy and IRA withdrawals.
We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.
Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.
Social Security benefits grow about 8% per year for each year you delay claiming past full retirement age (currently 66 to 67 for most people), up to age 70. That growth isn't market-dependent. It's guaranteed by the formula. For most people in good health with other income to bridge the gap, delaying produces the largest lifetime expected payout.
But the default math isn't the right answer for everyone. Cases where claiming earlier makes more sense include shorter projected longevity, no spouse to claim against, immediate income needs that would otherwise require depleting investment assets too fast, or a benefit that's small enough that the delay doesn't meaningfully change the picture.
We don't know how long you'll live. Nobody does. The best we can do is model multiple longevity assumptions and tell you what the answer is under each. The breakeven age between claiming at 62 and claiming at 70 is somewhere in the early 80s for most filers. Live past it, delay wins. Live short of it, claim early wins. Plan around the math you actually believe, not the math somebody hopes for.
The claim decision lives inside the broader retirement plan:
The hub. Income strategy, withdrawal sequencing, RMDs, healthcare bridge.
See retirement planning →Up to 85% of Social Security can be taxed. The coordination matters.
See tax planning →Often paired with delayed claiming, since Roth conversions in the low-income years before claiming can produce big lifetime tax savings.
See roth conversion strategy →Social Security optimization matters most at these moments:
"Beth ran the math three different ways and walked me through why delaying to 68 was the right answer for our situation. The breakeven analysis alone clarified everything."
"I didn't realize my spousal benefit could be optimized separately from my own claim. We restructured the order and gained meaningful lifetime income."
"After my husband passed, the survivor benefit decision was overwhelming. Beth handled it with patience and showed me the math without making me feel like I was being sold something."
Posts our wealth advisors have put together on this topic.
It depends on your health, your spouse's benefit, your other income sources, and your tax situation. The default math favors delaying to 70 because the benefit grows about 8% per year past full retirement age. But the right answer can be earlier if you've shorter projected longevity, no spouse to claim against, or income needs that outweigh the breakeven math.
For most filers, the breakeven between claiming at 62 and claiming at 70 falls somewhere in the early 80s. If you live past it, delaying wins on cumulative benefits received. If you do not, claiming early wins. The right answer also has to account for spousal and survivor benefits, taxes, and how Social Security interacts with your other income.
Under current rules, you receive the higher of the two, not the sum. If your own benefit's larger than the spousal benefit you would qualify for, you receive your own. If the spousal benefit (typically up to 50% of your spouse's primary insurance amount) is larger, you receive that instead, starting when both of you're claiming.
If you claim Social Security before full retirement age and continue working, benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above an annual limit (around $22,000 in 2024). The reduction goes away at full retirement age. The reduced benefits aren't lost permanently; they're added back in the form of a higher monthly benefit after you reach full retirement age.
Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be taxable depending on your provisional income (which combines half your Social Security, all taxable income, and certain tax-exempt interest). For high-income retirees, planning the order of withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts can keep more of your Social Security tax-free.
The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.