When should I start taking Social Security?

It's one of the most common questions we hear — and one of the most personal. The right answer depends on your health, your income needs, your other retirement assets, and what you're optimizing for.

The breakeven analysis

Most people start here: if I delay benefits, how long does it take for the higher monthly payment to make up for the years I didn't collect? That math is straightforward. But it's also incomplete.

The breakeven calculation assumes you're choosing in a vacuum. In reality, the decision interacts with your tax situation, your portfolio withdrawal strategy, your spouse's benefits, and your estate plan.

How health factors in

If you're in excellent health with longevity in your family, delaying typically wins. If you have significant health concerns, taking benefits earlier may make more sense. But "significant" is doing a lot of work in that sentence — most people underestimate how long they'll live.

Why the right answer is almost never the same for any two people

A married couple where one spouse has significantly higher earnings needs a completely different strategy than two people with similar career incomes. A business owner with irregular income has different considerations than a retiree with a pension.

This is exactly the kind of decision where generic advice fails. The only way to get the right answer is to model your specific situation — which is what we do for every client before they file.

If you're within five years of considering Social Security, let's talk through your options. The earlier we model it, the more flexibility you have.