‘Just the facts’ on when to take Social Security
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“Just the facts, ma’am,” as Dragnet’s Sgt. Joe Friday used to say. But when it comes to retirement planning, instead of “just” the facts, we should ask for “all” the facts. Many stories have been written about the merits of waiting until age 70 to take Social Security; some here on MarketWatch. But a recent Bankrate article on the subject really got my goat when it featured a graphic with the following statistic: “Two-thirds of Americans take Social Security at age 62, giving up $180,000 if single, $323,000 if married.” With those statistics in mind, holding off until age 70 can seem like a no-brainer. Let’s take a closer look, though, with “all the facts” in plain sight….Read More