Social Security timing
For most people, Social Security is the single largest asset they own — a government-guaranteed, inflation-adjusted paycheck for life. The only real decision is when to turn it on.
You can start Social Security anywhere between 62 and 70. Start early and you get smaller checks for more years; wait and you get bigger checks for fewer years — about 77% bigger at 70 than at 62, permanently. There's no universally right answer, but there is a right answer for your plan.
Two terms, quickly
- PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) — your "standard" monthly benefit, computed by the Social Security Administration from your highest 35 earning years. Think of it as your 100% number. Your real figure is on your statement at ssa.gov.
- FRA (Full Retirement Age) — the age you receive exactly 100% of your PIA. For everyone born in 1960 or later, it's 67.
The trade-off, concretely
| Claim at | You receive | On a $2,000 PIA |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | ~70% of PIA | ~$1,400/month |
| 67 (FRA) | 100% of PIA | $2,000/month |
| 70 | ~124% of PIA | ~$2,480/month |
Every single month you wait between 62 and 70 nudges the number — this isn't a three-option menu, it's a dial. And the adjustment is permanent: the check you start with (plus inflation adjustments) is the check for life.
The break-even age
Claiming early means more years of checks; claiming late means bigger ones. The break-even age is where the "bigger" catches up to the "more" in total dollars — typically somewhere between 78 and 82. Live past it, and waiting won. Don't, and claiming early won.
The way to think about it: delaying Social Security is the cheapest longevity insurance you can buy. The scenario that actually breaks retirement plans isn't dying early — it's living to 95. A maximized benefit is protection against exactly that scenario.
Married? This is a two-person decision
A common and powerful pattern: the higher earner delays to 70 — because their benefit is also the survivor's benefit; whichever spouse lives longer keeps the larger check for life — while the lower earner claims earlier to bring income in sooner. A lower-earning spouse may also be entitled to up to 50% of the higher earner's benefit.
One trap for early retirees
Your PIA estimate assumes you keep earning until you claim. If you retire at 55 and stop earning, your top-35-years average has more weak years in it, so your real benefit lands below the estimate. In Vundii, the PIA Adjustment slider exists for exactly this — early retirees typically trim the estimate by 10–25%.
What Vundii shows you
- The Social Security page estimates your PIA from your income, lets you dial claiming age for you (and your spouse), and shows the break-even chart between any two claiming ages.
- Every claiming choice flows straight into your success rate and cash-flow projections — so you see the decision in the context of your whole plan, not in isolation.
What to do about it
- Get your real numbers from ssa.gov (both spouses) and replace the estimate.
- Retiring well before claiming? Set the PIA Adjustment down 10–25%.
- Try 62 / 67 / 70 and watch your success rate — the answer is often not the one you assumed.
- If married, test the split strategy: higher earner at 70, lower earner earlier.
Related terms: PIA · FRA · break-even age
Test your claiming ages against your actual plan.
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