When should I take Social Security in retirement?

The best time to take Social Security depends on your health, income needs, marital status, tax situation, and overall retirement plan. You can claim as early as age 62, but your benefit is permanently reduced. Waiting until full retirement age provides your full benefit, and delaying up to age 70 can increase your benefit. A fiduciary financial advisor can help compare claiming scenarios so the decision supports your long-term income strategy.

Should I take Social Security at 62 or wait until full retirement age?

Taking Social Security at 62 may provide income sooner, but it also permanently reduces your monthly benefit. Waiting until full retirement age can provide a higher benefit for life. The right choice depends on whether you need the income immediately, your life expectancy, your spouse’s benefit, and how your other retirement assets can support you while you wait.

How does delaying Social Security increase my retirement income?

If you delay Social Security past full retirement age, your benefit generally increases by about 8% per year until age 70. That higher benefit can create more lifetime income, especially if you live into your 80s or beyond. Delaying can also strengthen survivor benefits for a spouse, which makes the decision especially important for married couples.

How can a fiduciary financial advisor help with Social Security planning?

A fiduciary financial advisor helps evaluate Social Security as part of a complete retirement income plan rather than as a standalone decision. That includes reviewing claiming age, tax impact, spousal benefits, survivor benefits, IRA withdrawals, Roth strategies, and investment income. The goal is to make a coordinated decision that supports long-term income, reduces avoidable risk, and helps your retirement plan hold up over time.

What should married couples consider before claiming Social Security?

Married couples should consider how each spouse’s claiming decision affects household income, survivor benefits, taxes, and long-term financial security. When one spouse passes away, the surviving spouse generally keeps the higher of the two benefits. Because of that, delaying the higher earner’s benefit can sometimes provide stronger protection for the surviving spouse.

How do Social Security survivor benefits affect retirement planning?

Survivor benefits matter because when one spouse dies, the surviving spouse typically keeps the higher Social Security benefit and loses the lower one. This can reduce household income at a difficult time. Planning ahead can help couples decide whether the higher earner should delay benefits to create a larger survivor benefit and improve long-term income stability.

Can Social Security be taxed in retirement?

Yes. Depending on your total income from other sources, up to 85% of your Social Security benefit may be taxable. Retirement income from IRAs, investments, pensions, and other sources can affect how much of your benefit is taxed. That is why Social Security should be coordinated with your broader tax and withdrawal strategy.

How can I create income while delaying Social Security?

If you want to delay Social Security, you may need an income bridge from other sources such as savings, taxable investments, IRA withdrawals, or Roth accounts. In some cases, this period can also create tax planning opportunities, including Roth conversions or strategic IRA withdrawals. A retirement income plan can help determine which accounts to use and when.

What is the breakeven point for delaying Social Security?

The breakeven point is the age when the total value of higher delayed benefits catches up to the money you would have received by claiming earlier. For many retirees, living past age 80 can make delaying Social Security more attractive from a lifetime income perspective. However, the decision should also account for health, taxes, spouse needs, and the role Social Security plays in the full retirement plan.

What should retirees in Bucks County know before taking Social Security?

Retirees in Bucks County should understand that Social Security timing affects lifetime income, taxes, and spousal planning. Claiming early may feel appealing, but it can permanently reduce benefits and limit future flexibility. A fiduciary financial advisor in Newtown, PA can help evaluate Social Security alongside retirement income, tax planning, and long-term financial goals.

How should retirees in the Philadelphia area plan their Social Security claiming strategy?

Retirees in the Philadelphia area should plan Social Security around their full financial picture, including income needs, investment withdrawals, tax exposure, spouse benefits, and longevity risk. The decision should not be based only on when benefits become available. A fiduciary retirement plan can help determine whether claiming early, waiting until full retirement age, or delaying to age 70 makes the most sense.

Where can I find a fiduciary financial advisor in Newtown, PA for Social Security planning?

Mark Fried is a fiduciary financial advisor in Newtown, Pennsylvania who works with pre-retirees and retirees throughout Bucks County, the Philadelphia area, and New Jersey. His approach focuses on Social Security timing, retirement income planning, taxes, and long-term decision-making so families can build a retirement plan designed to last.

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June 9 2026

S3E10: Breaking Down Social Security Through Real Life

Mark Fried Blog Bucks County Financial Advisor, Claiming Social Security Early, Delaying Social Security, fiduciary financial advisor, fiduciary retirement planning, financial planning, Full Retirement Age, IRA planning, Lifetime Income, Mark Fried, Merit Financial Advisors, New Jersey Financial Advisor, Newtown PA Financial Advisor, Philadelphia Financial Advisor, Pre-Retirees, pre-retirement planning, Retirees, retirement income, Retirement income planning, retirement planning, Retirement Taxes, Roth Conversions, Roth IRA, social security, social security benefits, Social Security Claiming Strategy, Social Security Planning, Spousal Benefits, Survivor Benefits, Tax Planning, when to take Social Security 0

When should you take Social Security? For many retirees, the question sounds simple, but the decision can affect income, taxes, survivor benefits, and long-term retirement confidence for decades. In this episode of Road Rules for Retirement, Mark Fried explains why Social Security should not be treated as a standalone decision, but as part of a broader fiduciary retirement income plan.

Mark walks through the key factors that influence Social Security claiming strategies, including early filing at age 62, full retirement age, delayed benefits, spousal coordination, survivor benefits, tax planning, and income bridge strategies. He also shares the story of a client who claimed early and later realized the long-term impact of that decision on both his retirement income and his wife’s future benefit.

For pre-retirees and retirees in Bucks County, the Philadelphia area, and New Jersey, this episode highlights why Social Security planning is about more than getting a monthly check. It is about making a thoughtful decision before you file, so your income strategy, tax plan, and retirement goals work together over time.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

Why Social Security is a lifetime retirement decision, not just a monthly benefit.
How claiming Social Security at age 62 can permanently reduce your benefit.
Why full retirement age matters when evaluating your claiming options.
How delaying Social Security beyond full retirement age can increase benefits up to age 70.
Why the right Social Security decision depends on health, income needs, marital status, and the overall retirement plan.
How Social Security claiming decisions can affect a spouse’s lifetime income and survivor benefit.
Why married couples may need to coordinate or stagger Social Security benefits.
How taxes can affect Social Security income, including the possibility that up to 85% of benefits may be taxable.
How IRAs, Roth accounts, investments, and savings can be used to build an income bridge before claiming Social Security.
Why fiduciary retirement planning can help retirees make Social Security decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Road Rules for Retirement is for pre-retirees and retirees who want fiduciary guidance on retirement income, taxes, Social Security, and long-term planning—particularly those living in Bucks County, the Philadelphia area, and New Jersey.

Mark Fried is a fiduciary financial advisor in Newtown, PA, serving retirees and pre-retirees throughout Bucks County, the Philadelphia area, and New Jersey.

March 2 2013

A Simple IRA Planning Idea To Benefit Your Spouse

Maria Alcoke Smart Money Blog IRA planning, IRAs, life insurance

We recently worked with a client that had the following challenge: while they were both alive, their annual income tax liability was pretty low, less than $1,500. But upon either one of them dying, the annual income tax liability for the surviving spouse was projected to skyrocket to over $7,500, more than a $6,000 increase!

Why is this the case?

A Simple IRA Planning Idea To Benefit Your Spouse It is because a decent portion of their income comes from their IRAs. While they are both alive, they file tax returns as “married, filing jointly”. These tax brackets are some of the most lenient in the entire tax code.

But, when one of the dies, the surviving spouse files taxes as a “single” taxpayer. These are some of the harshest brackets in the tax code.

And like a lot of people, the clients we are talking about had a large percentage of their assets in retirement plans. IRAs and other retirement plans like 401ks, 403bs, etc. can cause significant tax challenges for surviving spouses, as we see in our little example.

Now you need to brace yourself. The story above is not uncommon. In fact, it is actually a very common issue, and it may very well apply to you.

So what should you do about it? That is the $64,000 question.

First, you need to find out what your tax return would look like for your surviving spouse (or you, if you are the survivor). This analysis will tell you if you have a potential problem.

If you do, then here is a really simple idea that you may want to consider. WARNING: it is an idea that would normally not be on your list of options.

Are you ready?

Why not distribute some extra income out of your IRA (or other retirement plan) today, and each year thereafter, while you and your spouse are both alive and enjoying those lenient tax brackets? Yes, you will owe additional tax on those distributions, but here is the important part – that additional tax does NOT affect your current lifestyle.

Then, what if you took that after-tax amount of the distribution each year and used it to fund a life insurance policy on both your life and the life of your spouse?

I bet you weren’t expecting that one!

Life insurance? At your age? Wouldn’t that be expensive?

Surprisingly, due to increasing life expectancies, life insurance pricing has dropped considerably. As a result, planning like this becomes very effective.

The nice thing is that when the first spouse passes away, the surviving spouse receives a nice big tax-free check from the life insurance company. They can use that check to do a number of things:

They might convert the IRAs to Roth and pay the tax from the life insurance proceeds. Then all income from the IRAs would be 100% tax-free.
They might pull some additional income from the life insurance proceeds, again positively managing their tax return.
If the life insurance policy is large enough, they might go ahead and give the tax toxic IRA money to the kids, and live off of the life insurance proceeds.

As you can see, adding a large tax-free check to the list of assets that a surviving spouse has to work with can make a huge difference for them. And remember, for the surviving spouse, any additional income tax DOES affect their lifestyle.

So why not consider paying some extra tax today when it does NOT affect you so that your surviving spouse (or you!) can avoid taxes later when they DO affect you?

If you would like to discuss IRA planning in more detail, please give me a call at 215-968-1755 or contact me by filling out the contact form on this site and I will get back to you.