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Why Claiming Social Security at 70 Can Protect a Surviving Spouse

Original: Claim Social Security at 70 and Die at 72, and Your Widow Collects the Bigger Check for the Rest of Her Life. The Survivor Math That Changes the Break-Even Age Nobody Runs for Couples

A personal finance argument is circulating that couples should reconsider the standard Social Security break-even math: a higher earner who delays claiming until 70 and dies shortly after leaves a larger survivor benefit that the widow collects for life. Commentators say most break-even calculations focus on the individual retiree and ignore this survivor-benefit effect, which can make delayed claiming worthwhile for couples even when the retiree's own lifetime total looks worse.

Why now: It challenges the widely used break-even age rule for claiming benefits, a decision that affects millions of retirees.

Social Securitywidows and widowersretired couples

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• Claim Social Security at 70 and Die at 72, and Your Widow Collects the Bigger Check for the Rest of Her Life. The Survivor Math That Changes the Break-Even Age Nobody Runs for Couples · 24/7 Wall St.

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