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Old 04-11-2022, 02:22 PM
Crush Crush is offline
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Another insight that comes to mind that may help in your decision process. When researching when to take SS you will find that there is no argument that if you wait until you are 67/70, (every year after 62 you gain 7% each year), you get more monthly. The monthly numbers don't lie, but what impacts the total you will get in your lifetime is when you are asked the question, "how long are you going to live"? No one knows with certainty the answer to this question and this really is the biggest factor in making this decision along with others you decide as it relates to money. There is some discussion SS will go bankrupt in our lifetime, but that is another discussion.

My Mom is 91 and we were talking about this. Her and my Dad took it at 62 for financial reasons. Had they waited until 67 or 70 she would have more now, dad passed at 80. She is fine money wise and is glad she took it when she did, but clearly has lived longer than the expected range and would have received more had she waited.

So when I consider decisions like building a bigger garage or buying another car I do consider the life/death factor. There are downsides to spending like you are going to die soon, or "saving" to only leave an inheritance for your family, not necessarily a bad thing.

One other thought. You can borrow against stocks you have and pay interest only on the money/stock until you die at which time the stock is sold to pay the debt. There are some down sides to this strategy and researching such is highly advised.
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