Posts by David Perdew

Tom had just turned 62. He and his wife, Linda, sat at the kitchen table, laptops open, legal pad between them, finally ready to figure out this Social Security thing. Together. But the questions came faster than the answers. When should Tom claim? Would his decision affect Linda’s benefit? What if he waited until 70?…

Social Security is not a “click the button and hope for the best” decision. Before you claim, check the numbers, the rules, your spouse’s options, your work plans, and the future version of you who has to live with the result. Claiming Social Security feels like it should be simple. You worked. You paid in.…

A handful of basic facts can completely change the way you think about your benefit, your claiming age, your spouse, and your retirement income. Social Security has a strange effect on people. Everybody has heard of it. Almost everybody has an opinion about it. A disturbing number of people are wrong about it. This is…

Choosing when to claim Social Security is not about copying your neighbor. It is about asking the right questions before you lock in a lifelong income decision. Most people spend more time shopping for a refrigerator than planning when to claim Social Security. That sounds harsh. It is also true. They will compare ice makers,…

If you were married long enough, your ex-spouse’s earnings record may still matter, even if the marriage ended years ago and nobody wants to discuss who got the good cookware. Divorce is not usually described as a retirement planning event. It is described with other words. Painful. Expensive. Exhausting. Awkward at weddings. But for Social…

If you work for yourself, the way you report income today can affect the Social Security benefit you receive later, and that little detail deserves more than a shrug. Self-employed people are a special breed. They are brave, stubborn, creative, overworked, under-caffeinated, and occasionally guilty of pretending that “flexible schedule” means something other than “working…

Your benefit is not based on what you wish you had earned, what you almost earned, or what your business “really made.” It is based on the earnings record Social Security has for you. Social Security has a long memory. This is either comforting or mildly horrifying, depending on how carefully you paid attention to…

Spousal and survivor benefits can turn Social Security into a household strategy, not just a personal claiming choice. Most married couples make hundreds of financial decisions together. They buy houses together. They plan vacations together. They argue about whether the thermostat should be set at 68 or “why are we trying to air-condition the driveway?”…

Delaying Social Security to 70 is not the right choice for everyone, but for people who can afford to wait, it can create stronger lifetime income and better protection later in retirement. Waiting until 70 to claim Social Security sounds simple. Just wait. That is the advice. Very elegant. Very clean. Very spreadsheet-friendly. Also, in…

Claiming early can make sense in some situations, but it can also lock you into a lower monthly benefit for the rest of your life. Claiming Social Security at 62 is tempting. Of course it is. You have worked for decades. You have paid into the system. Your knees are making noises you do not…