I Was Once Convinced I'd Claim Social Security at 70. Now I'm Not So Sure.
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I Was Once Convinced I'd Claim Social Security at 70. Now I'm Not So Sure.

Why This Matters

It's worth noting that What's remarkable is For some reason, before I started really educating myself Social Security, I was under the impression that all seniors were eligible for benefits...

July 21, 2025
03:36 AM
4 min read
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It's worth noting that What's remarkable is For some reason, before I started really educating myself Social Security, I was under the impression that all seniors were eligible for benefits at 65.

Maybe I thought that because 65 is when Medicare eligibility begins.

Additionally, But it wasn't until I started to really read up on Social Security that I learned how filers get choices for claiming benefits, in this volatile climate.

The earliest age to for Social Security is 62 (noteworthy indeed).

Nevertheless, However, you don't get your complete monthly benefit without a reduction unless you wait for full retirement age to arrive. That age is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later.

Furthermore, Moreover, Image source: Getty Images. This analysis suggests that re's also a huge incentive to delay Social Security past full retirement age.

For each year you do, your benefits get a permanent 8% boost. Unfortunately, you can only enjoy that increase for so long.

Once you turn 70, there's no financial reward for delaying your claim, so you might as well file for Social Security at that point, in today's market environment.

Since claiming Social Security at 70 gives me an opportunity to score much larger monthly benefits, I used to be convinced that was the best time to, in today's financial world.

But I've since had a change of heart for one big reason.

I don't want to take the risk You might think that claiming Social Security ahead of full retirement age is a risky thing to do since it results in reduced benefits.

Moreover, But I happen to think that claiming benefits at 70 is just as risky, if not more so. Meanwhile, The reason.

If you delay your claim that long, you're banking on living a pretty long life to come out ahead financially (which is quite significant).

But that's unfortunately not guaranteed to happen (quite telling).

Moreover, Remember, the larger monthly payments you get by claiming Social Security at 70 are offset by having to wait several more years to get your money, in today's market environment.

Additionally, You need to a decent lifespan for that to make sense financially.

Put another way, filing for Social Security at 70 won't necessarily result in more lifetime income, despite leading to larger monthly benefits (something worth watching).

However, This analysis suggests that could result in your largest total payday (which is quite significant). But without a crystal ball telling you how long you'll, there's no way to know.

So I'd rather not take the chance. Furthermore, I'd also to enjoy my money sooner Another reason I'm no longer convinced that age 70 is optimal for claiming Social Security.

I figure I may want to enjoy those benefits at a younger age. It's one thing to delay Social Security because you need every last dollar to pay your retirement expenses.

Furthermore, And people who reach their senior years with no savings inevitably wind up in that boat.

But I've been saving aggressively for retirement (this bears monitoring), given the current landscape.

And my hope is that the money Social Security pays me can be used for extras -- not essentials, given the current landscape.

Because of that, I think I'd rather get that money sooner rather than later, amid market uncertainty.

On the other hand, Consider your options carefully All told, there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to figuring out when to claim Social Security.

The data indicates that point here isn't to convince anyone not to at 70.

Rather, the point is that sometimes, it pays to rethink your own assumptions and be open to different strategies, in today's market environment.

For years, I thought that filing for Social Security at 70 make the most sense -- period. Furthermore, It was only more recently that I started to see the merit in claiming benefits sooner.

And to be, I still haven't made a final decision on when to take benefits. However, But I'm open to different opinions.

If you're not sure what to do yourself, consider the s and cons of filing for benefits at different ages and relate them to your personal situation.

With any luck, you'll come to a decision that works well for you -- whether it has you claiming Social Security early, on time, or late.

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