Getting back to SS optimization this calculator is supposed to help identify the best strategies built by an FA:
Open Social Security is a free, open-source Social Security strategy calculator.
The calculator runs the math for each possible claiming age (or, if you're married, each possible combination of claiming ages) and reports back, telling you which strategy is expected to provide the most total spendable dollars over your lifetime.
Please note that this calculator should not be the only analysis you do, as there are various factors that it does not consider, such as:
- The fact that delaying benefits reduces longevity risk and therefore may be preferable even in some cases in which it is not the strategy that maximizes expected total spending, or
- Tax planning reasons or other unrelated reasons why it might be better for you to file earlier or later than the calculator suggests.
About the Author (Mike Piper)
I am a CPA in St. Louis, Missouri. I'm the author of nine financial books, as well as the popular blog "
Oblivious Investor." I am an occasional public speaker (usually about Social Security or tax planning), and I have been quoted as a Social Security expert in numerous publications (e.g., Wall Street Journal, AARP, Kiplinger, and several others).
http://opensocialsecurity.com/