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? What about the earnings test? What about Medicare? And why did it seem like every article gave a different answer?

"There seem to be a lot of ways to get this wrong," Linda said.

She was right. And that is exactly why the best time for Social Security planning is not when you turn 62.

It is years before that.

Why Most People Start Too Late

Here is an uncomfortable truth most financial media ignore: by the time most Americans start thinking about Social Security, many of their most important decisions are already made.

Not the claiming decision, that one is still ahead. But the decisions that shape the benefit itself: how many years you worked, how much you earned, whether your job was even covered by the system.

Social Security is one of the most consequential financial decisions of your retirement. It is also largely irreversible. Claim too early, and you lock in a permanently reduced payment. That word "permanently" matters more than most people realize.

If your Full Retirement Age is 67 (which applies to anyone born in 1960 or later), claiming at 62 reduces your monthly benefit by roughly 30 percent. That reduction does not go away after a few years. It follows every check for the rest of your life.

That is why social security planning is not a retirement activity. It is a pre-retirement one.

What Social Security Planning Actually Means

Most people assume planning means picking an age to claim. It does not.

Real social security planning means understanding how the system actually works before any decision is made.

Before you can choose wisely, you need to understand:

• How your benefit is calculated (it is not based on need; it is based on your earnings record)
• What Full Retirement Age means and why it is your personal anchor point
• How working while claiming before FRA can trigger the earnings test and reduce your check
• How spousal and survivor benefits work, and why they create coordination opportunities
• How your Social Security income may be taxed at the federal level
• How your claiming decision interacts with Medicare Part B enrollment

Each piece connects to the others. Understanding one in isolation is not enough.

The Claiming Window: Ages 62 to 70

The Social Security system gives you a window. You can start benefits as early as age 62 or as late as age 70.

Every month you wait between 62 and your Full Retirement Age, your benefit grows. Every month you wait between FRA and age 70, it grows even faster, at roughly 8 percent per year, called delayed retirement credits.

To put real numbers on it: someone with a $ 2,000-per-month FRA benefit who waits until 70 would receive approximately $2,480 per month instead. That is a 24 percent permanent increase.

But here is what the headlines usually miss: once you turn 70, the credits stop. There is no advantage to waiting beyond age 70. Your social security retirement strategy should account for that ceiling.

There is no universally right answer about when to claim. The best choice depends on your health, your spouse's benefit, your other income, and your expected longevity. But you can only make a smart decision if you understand the rules behind the numbers.

Your Work History Is Already Being Written

Social Security calculates your benefit using your highest 35 years of covered earnings, not your last 35, your best 35.

Every year you work in a job that pays into the system, it adds to your record. Every year below 35 is counted as a zero, dragging down your average and your benefit.

This means the choices you are making right now, today, are actively shaping your future benefit. How much you earn. Whether you take extended time off. Whether your job participates in Social Security or a separate government pension system.

Many people are surprised to learn that not all work counts. Some state and local government employees, certain federal workers, and a few other categories may use separate pension systems that do not credit Social Security.

Knowing whether your current work is building your Social Security record is a basic, essential piece of Social Security benefits planning.

You can check your own record right now. The Social Security Administration provides a free personal account at SSA.gov where you can see your complete earnings history and estimated future benefits at several claiming ages.

The Three-Legged Stool...and Why Social Security Carries More Weight Than Ever

For decades, financial planners described retirement income as a three-legged stool: personal savings and investments, an employer pension or 401(k), and Social Security.

Two of those legs have weakened. Traditional pensions have nearly disappeared from the private sector. Personal savings rates remain inconsistent. Social Security has become the most reliable leg in the stool for tens of millions of Americans.

According to sources, more than half of all retirees rely on Social Security for at least half their income. Roughly one in four rely on it for 90 percent or more. For these Americans, a suboptimal claiming decision is not a technicality. It is a real and lasting financial loss.

This is not a scare tactic. It is a reason to take when to start Social Security seriously and to start thinking about it long before the decision is in front of you.

When to Start: The Real Answer

The best time to start your Social Security planning is five to ten years before you retire. Earlier is better.

Not because the rules are complicated, though they are. But because time gives you options that rushing does not.

Start early enough, and you can add to your earnings record to fill low-income years. You can build savings to bridge the gap if you decide to delay claiming. You can coordinate a spousal strategy to maximize the household's lifetime income. You can make Medicare decisions without a scramble.

By the time you are sitting at your own kitchen table with a legal pad and a list of questions, the best moment to plan may have already passed.

Do not let that happen to you.

That is why I wrote The Truth About Social Security, Volume 1: How the System Really Works. It is the foundation every pre-retiree needs — a clear, plain-English explanation of how the system actually works, what the rules actually mean, and why starting early gives you the best chance at a strategy that fits your life.

Get your copy at DavidPerdew.com/SS.

Know the rules. Plan with confidence.