In this case, applying at 62 is better than taking on costly debt. You may receive a smaller lifetime benefit, but the trade is worthwhile if it can keep you financially secure. However, it's not ...

U.S. workers appear to have a knowledge gap about Social Security, which could lead to money-losing mistakes once program ...

There's a magic number that can help you maximize your Social Security income when you're ready to retire, but it's not the ...

With Social Security benefits expiring, it may not be enough to cover your housing costs in retirement. Here's how to protect ...

Regret claiming Social Security early? Learn your options to reverse or reduce the impact—and how to boost your benefits moving forward.

Workers who want to retire early can still claim their Social Security as early as age 62, but doing so incurs a penalty that reduces their monthly benefit by 30 percent.

People can still claim Social Security as early as age 62, but doing so comes at a permanent cost. Early claimants receive a reduced monthly benefit—about 30 percent less than they would have at ...

If you're not claiming yet and don't need your Social Security checks to get by, it might be to your advantage to wait until you retire or reach your FRA to apply. This way, you won't have any early ...

Delaying Social Security beyond your full retirement age can significantly boost your monthly check. For each full year you delay, up to age 70, your benefit increases by 8%.

Key Points You must claim Social Security benefits at your full retirement age to get your standard benefit. Your full retirement age is based on your birth year. Early filing penalties or delayed ...

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.