Retirement Planning and Social Security

What Part Will Social Security Play in Your Retirement?

While most people think of Social Security as more of a safety net than an investment, for many, the monthly payments are a substantial source of income in retirement, and it’s worth gaining a greater understanding of how the program works and how it will fit into your future financial plans.

Most workers are aware of Social Security as a regular deduction from their paycheck and the promise of income from the program come retirement age. It was initially established to help older Americans from falling into poverty, but anyone who qualifies for the program is eligible to receive its benefits once they reach the age of 62 (some before in the case of disability or the death of a spouse or guardian).

The program still serves its initial purpose for nearly half of all recipients, while also accounting for a significant portion of income for many more—in 2011, Social Security represented 36% of all income for those aged 65 and older, and 87% of Americans in that age group were receiving benefits. Social Security provided the majority of income for 52% of beneficiary couples and 45% of non-married beneficiaries. About 32% of beneficiaries were 75 years of age or older in December 2012, a number that can be expected to rise given longevity trends.

While those who have been able to fund a good nest egg won’t have to rely as much on Social Security, the monthly check can still be a considerable source of income and should be accounted for when allocating your portfolios ahead of retirement.

Benefits

To receive benefits, you must have worked at least 10 full years at a job covered by Social Security, but to maximize your potential earnings, you need at least 35 years of employment (to determine your benefit amount, the program looks at your highest 35 years of income and then runs a series of calculations to come up with your monthly payment).

So what exactly are the benefits? The primary one is monthly income, obviously, but there are several factors that make this income unique. The first is that once you stop paying into the program, you will have a predetermined amount set aside based on what you earned over your career (this amount can vary depending on when you apply for benefits—we’ll get to this more a little further on). That income, as the rules of the program currently stand, will be paid monthly, adjusted for inflation (going up based on increases in the Consumer Price Index) and last for the rest of your life—whether you live another 20, 30 or 40 years, the check will be in the mail every month.

Spousal benefits built into Social Security entitle a spouse (or ex-spouse) to, generally, half of the full earned benefit of his or her better half. These can play an important factor in maximizing benefits regardless of whether one spouse was the primary breadwinner or both earned the same amount of money in their respective careers.

There are also survivor benefits for your spouse and/or dependents—the amount will be calculated based on what was contributed to Social Security and their age and relationship to you. If the surviving spouse is a retired worker, he or she is entitled to the higher amount of benefits being paid to the household.

How Much Will You Get?

There are quite a few wrinkles and strategies for maximizing your monthly income (which we will delve into deeper in a future issue), but, as mentioned above, how much you’ll receive depends a great deal on when you apply for benefits.

Early eligibility begins at age 62, while eligibility for full benefits begins after age 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954—if you were born after that, the full retirement age could be up to a year older. You also have the option to defer benefits until age 70. In general, the longer you hold off on claiming your benefits, the larger your monthly check will be. Those who start at the earliest eligibility will only receive about 75% of their primary insurance amount (PIA—which is the monthly payment), while those who wait until full retirement age will receive 100% of their PIA. For every year up to age 70 that you defer eligibility, your benefit will increase by 8%, up to 132% of the PIA. For reference, in 2014, the maximum PIA is $2,642 per month, but the average retired worker will receive an estimated $1,294 per month.

A 2012 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that 43% of eligible claimants took Social Security benefits at the earliest possible time (age 62) and that 60% take them within two months of turning 62 or upon full retirement age of 66.

Of course, maximizing benefits is not as simple as picking an age to collect—you also need to take your life expectancy, employment and marriage status, as well as other sources of income and taxes into account. If you need the income for expenses sooner than later or worry that you have a shorter life expectancy, it may make sense to apply for benefits before reaching full retirement age. If you or your spouse plans to work late into your 60s or beyond, it may make more sense to defer until age 70.

There are a number of calculators and articles on the Social Security Administration’s website that can help you figure out what your payments might be based on these various factors, but discussing the topic with a trusted financial adviser who can help you navigate the program’s complicated rule set and work with you on an overall retirement income plan might be your best option. Since Social Security will likely be a significant portion of your income in your retirement, you owe it to yourself for all of your years of hard work to create a plan that will help you get all that you can.

In a future issue, we’ll look at some of the benefits of delaying, strategies to consider, potential pitfalls to avoid and the impact of changing your recipient status.

About Adviser Investments
Adviser Investments operates as an independent, professional wealth management firm with expertise in Fidelity and Vanguard funds, actively managed mutual funds, ETFsA type of security which allows investors to indirectly invest in an underlying basket of financial instruments (these may include stocks, bonds, commodities or other types of instruments). Shares in an ETF are publicly traded on an exchange, and the price of an ETF’s shares will fluctuate throughout the trading day (traditional mutual funds trade only once a day). For example, one popular ETF tracks the companies in the S&P 500, so buying a share of the ETF gets an investor exposure to all 500 companies in the index., fixed-income investing, tactical strategies and financial planning. Our investment professionals focus on helping individual investors, trustsA legal document that functions as an instruction manual to how you want your money managed and spent in your later years as well as how your assets should be distributed after your death. Assets placed in a trust are generally safe from creditors and can be sold by the trustee in short order, avoiding the lengthy and costly probate process., foundations and institutions meet their investment goals. Our minimum account size is $350,000. For the fifth consecutive year, Adviser Investments was named to Barron’s list of the top 100 independent financial advisers nationwide and its list of the top advisory firms in Massachusetts in 2017. We have also been recognized on the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers list in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

For more information, please visit www.adviserinvestments.com or call 800-492-6868.

Disclaimer: This material is distributed for informational purposes only. The investment ideas and expressions of opinion may contain certain forward-looking statements and should not be viewed as recommendations, personal investment advice or considered an offer to buy or sell specific securities. Data and statistics contained in this report are obtained from what we believe to be reliable sources; however, their accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed.

Our statements and opinions are subject to change without notice and should be considered only as part of a diversified portfolio. You may request a free copy of the firm’s Form ADV Part 2, which describes, among other items, riskThe probability that an investment will decline in value in the short term, along with the magnitude of that decline. Stocks are often considered riskier than bonds because they have a higher probability of losing money, and they tend to lose more than bonds when they do decline. factors, strategies, affiliations, services offered and fees charged.

Past performance is not an indication of future returns. The tax information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. We do not provide legal or tax advice. Always consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

The Barron’s rankings consider factors such as assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. This award does not consider client experience and is not indicative of future performance.

Editors at the Financial Times bestowed “elite” status on 300 firms in the U.S., as determined by assets under management, asset growth, longevity, compliance record, industry certifications and online accessibility.

© 2018 Adviser Investments, LLC. All Rights Reserved.