retirement age

Made It! Age 62, Eligible for Social Security

© Can Stock Photo / AndreyPopov

Yes, at age 62 I could claim Social Security benefits. But I won’t.

After talking with you for decades about your Social Security benefits and the tactics you might use in claiming benefits, I’m looking at my own situation. There may be lessons in it for others, so we’ll talk about it here.

Suppose my benefit at age 62 would be $1,500. That’s $18,000 a year! Why wouldn’t I claim it?

1. If I wait until later, my benefit will be larger. That’s $2,128 monthly at full retirement age (66 and 4 months) or $2,856 at age 70.

2. If I claim now, since I want to keep on working, my benefits would be reduced by 50 cents for every dollar I earn over about $17,000.

3. My benefits would be partly taxable because I would have other income of over $23,000 for the year, basically. (It’s complicated—consult your own tax advisor.)

4. Flexibility: A decision to defer claiming Social Security can be changed at any time in the future, if circumstances change.

Since I want to work to age 92, my guess is that I won’t claim until age 70. But that’s just me. Under what circumstances would it make sense to claim at age 62?

A. If your spouse qualifies for benefits twice as large as yours, check into claiming on your record at age 62 and changing to a claim on your spouse’s record at full retirement age. This gives you some benefit from your earnings record, which might otherwise go unused.

B. If you have an impaired life expectancy, an earlier claim might make more sense. A person who plans to claim at age 70 but dies at 68 ends up collecting nothing.

Clients, this is intended to illustrate some of the basic considerations about Social Security strategy. You can learn more at www.SocialSecurity.gov, where you may sign up for a personal account and obtain personal benefit estimates at any time.

Please email us or call if you would like to discuss this at greater length.

Content in this material is for general information only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

This is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific investment. Your results may vary.

Can I Afford to Retire?

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Perhaps the biggest financial issue people try to understand is their own retirement situation. Will you have enough cash flow to live as you would like in retirement? Will you be able to retire at an acceptable age? Are you on track to retire when you want to?

We use a straightforward process to help people answer these questions. It isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thought. Our process has some fine points, but the basics are simple:

First, how much cash coming in every month will it take for you to feel like you have what you need?

Second, what will your sources of monthly income in retirement add up to? We are talking about Social Security or Railroad Retirement, pensions, rent, and other recurring monthly payments. This step does not include money from your portfolios or 401(k) type accounts.

Third, what is the monthly gap between your needs in Step One and your sources from Step Two?

Fourth, multiply that monthly gap from Step Three by twelve to get the annual shortfall. Then multiply that by twenty to understand how much permanent lump sum capital you will need in order to retire. For example, if you are short $18,000 per year, you’ll need $360,000 (which is $18,000 times twenty).

We like to estimate that you can probably earn about 5% of your investment capital each year in income and gains. So if you have capital equal to twenty times your desired income, you can potentially afford to take out 5% (one-twentieth) per year without having to spend down your capital.

About those fine points: we factor in the rising cost of living, we make estimates about future changes in Social Security and other monthly benefits, we make assumptions about rates of return. There are no guarantees on any of these things. But it always pays to take your best shot at it and plan accordingly. As retirement gets closer, your estimates will get better and better.

There are other factors as well. Sometimes spouses do not retire at the same time. Often there are plans to change residences or move. Retirement may trigger a lump sum purchase of a boat, RV, or second home. We strive to understand all the pieces of your puzzle, and plan for your specific objectives.

Clients, if we may help you improve your understanding of your retirement plans and planning, please email us or call. We love to work on this topic.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.

No strategy assures success or protects against loss.

This is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific situation. Your results will vary. The hypothetical rates of return used do not reflect the deduction of fees and charges inherent to investing.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.