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Don’t Rush to the Exit: Social Security Filing Advice

February 3, 2022 Alyson Dorosky By Alyson Dorosky

The Social Security Administration has again delayed office reopening as the pandemic grinds on. In-person appointments are limited to urgent situations. And your retirement planning generally doesn’t fall into that category.

I work daily with financial advisors and their clients who are peering into retirement and asking, “When should I file for Social Security?” The answers to that question are about as unique as your fingerprint.

If you’re considering if or when to file, I have these tips and advice for navigating this extended period of SSA remote operations.

Register for an account on SSA.gov and review your earnings record.

This is the first thing to do if you already haven’t. And if you did it but long ago, you need to confirm that you have your sign-in credentials.

Once you register on ssa.gov, you can see the earnings record that the agency has on file and check its accuracy. Wonder how much you earned in 1978? It’s there. If you think your salary history isn’t correct, now is the time to address that. The SSA explains how in this publication.

Once signed in, you can see how much your benefit would be if you retire:

Get professional financial advice.

As good as the SSA’s online tools are, they do not replace expert, unrushed advice from someone who understands your situation. I also know from experience that too many people ask their friends for advice. Your friends aren’t experts.

It’s critical to work with a financial advisor with advanced software to evaluate Social Security filing options for you and a spouse. A financial advisor will also probe your entire portfolio and consider your answers to questions that include:

Consider closely what each option and any decision mean for you and your family.

Social Security has more than 2,700 rules. There’s a lot that people don’t know. I’ve spent time educating people with answers to questions, including:

People are often surprised to learn that, with exceptions, benefits are taxable. And that when one spouse dies, the other doesn’t continue to receive both benefits.

Sophisticated financial software can help your advisor illustrate different filing scenarios and what those will mean for your household. It’s information you want to have before you decide on filing.

Remember: Taxes will not go away because you retire.

A financial advisor should evaluate your household’s (you and your spouse’s) tax liabilities and suggest ways to make your portfolios more tax efficient. My firm, LifeYield, estimates that people can have one-third more in assets available in retirement if they apply principles of tax efficiency in their investments and their strategies for withdrawal.

Don’t rush. There’s a lot at stake.

Social Security provides on average 30% to 40% of what someone earned while working. That’s an excellent foundation, of course. And it’s attractive if you, like many, are wrung out from working in the pandemic.

But taking a deliberate, informed approach to Social Security filing makes sense. Longer life expectancies lead to retirements that can last 30 years or more. The economy will almost certainly fluctuate between good times and bad when you’re retired. You’ll need your assets to withstand downturns and inflationary cycles (like one that’s going on now).

Working with a financial advisor and taking a step back to look hard at your finances and goals will get you where you want to be at every stage of your retirement.


Read the original post on TheStreet here.

Alyson is a key member of both the Marketing and Advisor Success Teams at LifeYield. She's been supporting advisors using Social Security Advantage for 3+ years, which makes her an important Social Security author to watch. She writes monthly about Social Security secrets, niche cases and lessons learned supporting clients in the digital era.