Optimizing Social Security Benefits

Free Online Tools for Optimizing Social Security Benefits
 Excerpt:

... your benefit will rise by 6% to 8% for every year you delay claiming between the ages of 62 and 70, those who file early may reduce the lifetime benefits they (and their surviving spouses) stand to receive by "tens of thousands of dollars," says Christopher Jones, chief investment officer at Financial Engines in Sunnyvale, Calif

Comment: Links to two tools below (Three more in the article). I haven't tried any yet. At first look I think I will start at 66 but it may pay to delay until 70. Image above: Poster from 1936. Could really be "Join the March to the Grave!" Ha!

• aarp.com (type "Social Security calculator" into the search window)
• bedrockcapital.com (click on "SSAnalyze)

Comments: Yet to figure out:

• When to take Social Security?
• What is the asset class to draw from first (IRA's? Brokerage that has already taxed money invested?). If we drew from this (and I think we could for 4 years - in essence we would have no taxable income except long capital gains from the sale of equities and dividends (which are taxed at a 15% rate).