• ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info

When did you/do you plan to take SS?

I took mine at 62. We are not promised tmrw. I have a 401k and a brokerage account. Work offered me a part time gig to get rid of me so I took it. Work 2 days a week for maybe 14 hrs total. Feel so much better. No job stress at all. My break even age is 79. Don’t think I’ll make it that long. Got my first deposit this week. Life is short.
 
Be very careful if your spouse is a govt employee that has govt pension and did not pay into social security. They cannot draw spousal benefit due to little known law. Government pension benefit offset. Any spousal benefit is reduced by their government pension. Unfair to firefighters teachers in small rural counties and police officers... if they had just not worked. They could have drawn.... it may be repealed but then that adds additional pressure on ss to stay viable....
 
I basically was forced to begin at age 62. My wife was fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer and my employer suggested that since I had used all of my vacation and sick leave and they would not treat me as an exception, that I should retire and begin social security. I did so that I could be with my wife in her final period of time. Thanks.
 
Yep, At 61-1/2, I did the spreadsheet for 62, 65, 72-1/2...

Took it to the Social Security office and had them look over my calculations. The young (30ish) employee confirmed my calculations. I said, "Sign me up, today". That was 10 years ago. (I am 72 now). Note: The State of Georgia does not tax Social Security or VA Disability. Feds tax 85% of Social Security and 0% of VA Disability. At 65, my County Property taxes dropped tremendously. SS normally gets a COLA every year as does VA Disability.
 
Be very careful if your spouse is a govt employee that has govt pension and did not pay into social security.
The only .gov employees that don't pay into SS are the ones under the old CSRS system, (enrollment into CSRS ended in 1983) but they get paid 85% of their salary after 30 years of service IIRC. It's a better system than FERS in most cases.

Everyone under FERS pays into SS.
 
Back
Top Bottom