MassMutual reports that 25% of surveyed adults near retirement age were unaware that spouses can collect Social Security ...

Most Americans rely on Social Security to make ends meet, with a 2024 Gallup poll finding that 60% of retirees say their benefits are a "major" source of income. Only 4% of U.S. adults can correctly ...

Claiming Social Security at 62 is popular strategy because it gives recipients the most checks. At the same time, it reduces ...

Full retirement age varies by birth year and is 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Claiming Social Security before ... are the surviving spouse who is claiming benefits based on your deceased ...

For example, if you’re set to collect $3,500 per month from Social Security at full retirement age, your spouse may be eligible to receive $1,750 based on your earnings record, although this won ...

Also think about how reliant your spouse might ... considered the latest age to claim Social Security. In the middle of that eight-year window is your full retirement age (FRA), otherwise known ...

Spousal benefits, in contrast, max out at 50% of what your spouse (or ex-spouse) collects at full retirement age. If that amount is $2,400, then your spousal benefit could be worth up to $1,200, but ...

Learn about the options available to those who claim Social Security before the FRA and wish to make adjustments to their decision.

Married couples often benefit from dual incomes, which makes saving for retirement easier than some single adults find it.

As a general rule of thumb, Social Security benefits are designed to replace about 40% of pre-retirement income. It will be more if you were a lower earner, or less if you are a higher earner.

Many financial advisors recommend using the younger spouse's age as the baseline for allocation decisions, then adjusting based on other factors like pension and Social Security income.

There aren't many social programs in the U.S. that have had as much of a positive impact as Social Security ... benefit based on how far away you are from your full retirement age (FRA).