20 Tips to Live Comfortably off Just a Social Security Check

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Delay Taking Your Social Security Benefits

Retiring from work and beginning to collect Social Security are two reasons to celebrate getting older.

Although you are able to start collecting Social Security at age 62, your monthly benefits will be significantly higher if you wait until you reach your full retirement age, which ranges from 65 to 67 depending on the year you were born.

For example, if your full retirement age is 67, but you start collecting Social Security at 62, your benefits will be 30 percent less than they would be if you waited the additional five years.

If possible, wait to start collecting until even after you reach your full retirement age.