Retirement Benefits This Is What You Need To Know About Social Security
In this episode, John discusses Social Security as one of the key sources of retirement benefits and income. He reviews the current state of the system, and what that means for you as your plan for your retirement.
John is the author of 5 Ways Your Wealth is Under Attack and It’s Your Wealth – Keep It.” He has lectured extensively on financial planning and is a recipient of the Five StarSM Wealth Manager Award.
John’s strength is his ability and commitment to improve the level and quality of the financial planning process.
His dedication to his clients’ growth involves an evolving strategy. His focus is to meet the demands, desires, and needs of his clients in a changing economic environment.
Don’t miss John’s takeaways:
- Social Security is important. For the average retiree, their Social Security check may be 33% of their gross income.
- How much are you paying in? If you make up to $132,900 annually, 7.65% of your income is going towards Social Security. If self-employed…you can double that. Also, if you make above $132,900 your effective tax rate is lower. That’s because you only pay Social Security tax on the first $132,900.
Plus:
- Income tax on the benefit: As much as 85% of your benefit is going to be taxed as ordinary income. This is depending upon your income level.
- When to take Social Security: Begin by considering your health and your longevity.
- Collecting early: If you are willing to take a reduction of about 6.5% per year, you can take Social Security income as early as 62.
- Benefits to deferring: If you defer from 67 to 70, you can get an 8.5% increase in benefits per year. Survivor benefits are higher when deferred as well.
- Drawbacks to deferring: If you have a high income and expect a large benefit, you are likely to lose if you defer. If you withdraw from your portfolio rather than take your benefit, you lose that cash and its compounding potential. If you don’t need the benefit, go ahead and take it—you can gift it or use it for a vacation.
For more, listen above, and download the guide. I get into the nitty gritty of how the benefit is taxed and the payouts for collecting early or deferring. Most importantly, schedule a time to come talk to us. To plan how Social Security fits into your retirement plan, you need information that is not generic, but specific to you.
You can also connect with us on social media, or call us at (800) 797-1000.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon!
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