For most retirees, the advice sounds simple.

Wait until 70 to claim Social Security, let those delayed retirement credits do their work,

and lock in the biggest possible check.

And the math behind that advice is real.

Wait from 62 to 70, and your monthly benefit increases by roughly 77%.

So why would anyone walk away from a number that big? Well, the short answer is that the

standard break-even analysis only measures one variable. And for retirees with significant

pre-tax savings, there are other factors at play that can meaningfully change which claiming

age actually produces the best outcome. When those factors are part of the conversation,

the wait until 70 answer doesn't always hold up. Last week, I was joined by Josh Rannler,

a partner at our firm who spends his days deep inside our client's retirement plans, and he

shared some of his unique thoughts on Social Security timing. After that episode aired, I received

a number of

really great questions and comments from listeners on the topic. So today on the show, I'm sharing

Josh's full episode he recently published, which expands on what he covered last week. He walks

through the story of a 62-year-old woman named Carol, who has a $1.5 million IRA and is wrestling with the same

should I wait until 70 question most retirees are asking themselves. And the way Josh worked

through her case study offers a useful framework for anyone weighing the same decision. There's

more in his episode worth your time, including how to factor the source of your retirement

income into that decision. And if you find yourself wanting to see the visuals he walks through,

I'll provide a link to the video version in today's show notes, which you can find by going

to you staywealthy.com forward slash 282. With that, I'll let Josh take it from here.

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