Hi-I am on a second round of "Get What's Yours" which I find very excellent, I am stuck on the Edith examples pgs 101 and 102. if her FRA at 66 is $1,800, it would be 25% reduced to $1,350 if claimed at 62. If she were t claim widowed benefit at 62 that would be 19% reduced at 62, from $2,000 to $1,620. Then on pg 102 you say that her $1,800 would increase to $3,168, which is true 76% increase from $1,800 at 62 to age 70. Does this mean that FRA for Edith was $2,400? Because, if she were to claim her own at 62 and that equals $1,800, it implies $2,400 at FRA. 25% reduction equals $1,800. After analyzing the claiming widow benefit at 62=$1,620 per month for 8 years=$155,520, then she takes her own at age 70, which would have grown to $3,168 for 360 months to age 100 that equals $1,140,480 for the total $1,296,000, astronomical numbers, does this seem correct? Thank you, happy to take it over email.

Hi. You're correct that the both retirement and widow's benefits are reduced for age if taken prior to a person's full retirement age (FRA). However, in the example you cite, $1800 is Edith's reduced age 62 retirement benefit rate, and $2000 is her reduced age 62 widow's benefit rate. Thus, Edith's best filing strategy is to claim only reduced widow's benefits effective with her month of filing (i.e. age 62), and then switch to her own retirement benefits at age 70. Without considering future cost of living (COLA) increases, Edith would then collect a total of $192,000 in widow's benefits (i.e. $2000 x 96 months). And, by waiting until age 70 to collect her own benefits, Edith would then be eligible for a monthly benefit amount of at least $3,168 even without considering COLAs.

So, yes, if Edith lives to age 100 and follows the recommended filing strategy, she would collect at least $1,332,480 in Social Security benefits. As this example illustrates, it's critical to understand all of your potential filing options prior to applying for benefits. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) allows people to fully analyze all of their potential options so that they can determine their best strategy for maximizing Social Security benefits.

Best, Jerry