Licensed insurance producer · NPN 20602398 · Appointed with 20+ A-rated carriers · No carrier-paid placements or endorsements.
The Core Question: When to File?
You can file as early as 62 or as late as 70. Each year you wait between 62 and 70 increases your benefit by roughly 6-8%. For most people in average health, filing at 70 maximizes lifetime benefits — but it depends on health, marital status, other income sources, and your tax picture.
The breakeven math is rarely the right framework. Hans walks through the longevity-risk framing, the survivor-benefit interaction for married couples, and the Roth-conversion window you give up by filing early.
Is My Social Security Taxable?
Up to 85% of your Social Security benefit can be subject to federal income tax depending on your other income. Read the breakdown with the actual provisional-income thresholds and worked examples.
Spousal & Survivor Benefits
Married, divorced, or widowed claimants have additional levers — spousal benefits, divorced-spouse benefits (10-year marriage rule), and the survivor benefit (which can be 100% of the higher earner's benefit if claimed at the survivor's FRA). Most online calculators miss these.
Medicare IRMAA & the Two-Year Lookback
Your Medicare Part B and D premiums in any year are based on your AGI from two years prior. A Roth conversion or property sale at 63 can quietly push your Medicare premiums up at 65. Current IRMAA brackets.
Free Resources
Get a second opinion before you sign.
15-minute call. No pressure. An honest read on your situation from a licensed independent producer with no captive-carrier obligations.
Call Hans: 213-414-2808