I am 61 and my wife is 60, I have made 40K my entire working life ( W2) and my wife has made 18K total ( mostly tips) and a 1099 for 10K for working for a doctor's wife. We live in an economy that is cheap and affordable for us. (Although we only have about 20K in savings) Luckily we like crazy weather, the changing of the seasons and are on NO medications and still Ski and climb mountains. So we are OK here. I am greatly confused. Several credible sources say we are fools if we don't take SSI at 62, and others say wait till 66 and then some 70. It seems if we take early the 2-1 cancels out SSI ( 40-17=23 div 2=11.5K ). So it would seem logical to wait till 66. But why are they saying to take it? What don't I know?

Hi,

The best filing strategy for you and your wife depends on numerous factors, so I can't advise you without much more information. You should strongly consider subscribing to the maximization software available on this website. The software will be able to tell you and your wife how much you could receive depending on the age at which you start drawing benefits, and can also help you both determine your best filing option.

Best, Jerry