The Social Security Decision: When to Claim Social Security Benefits, How to Navigate Medicare, and Get Every Dollar You, (Paperback)

<p><b>*** Updated for 2026 *** </b></p><p><b>Karen's husband filed for Social Security at 62.</b> He thought he was making the right call - money coming in sooner, more years to enjoy it. That night Karen sat at the kitchen table and ran the numbers.</p><p>The difference between his choice and waiting until 70 was not thousands of dollars. It was <b>hundreds of thousands.</b></p><p><b>Most people make this decision with incomplete information. This book fixes that.</b></p><p><i>The Social Security Decision</i> is a step-by-step guide to the most consequential retirement choice you will face. Written for real people - not financial professionals - it walks you through exactly how your benefit is calculated, what claiming early or waiting actually costs in your specific situation, and how to build a strategy you can defend with real numbers.</p><p><b>Inside you will find: </b><br>- The break-even calculation in plain terms - run with your own numbers, not hypotheticals<br>- Spousal and survivor benefits: why the higher earner's claiming age can protect a spouse for decades after they are gone<br>- Medicare enrollment, IRMAA, the earnings test, and the 2025 Social Security Fairness Act - everything that affects what you actually take home<br>- Six complete worksheets that capture your benefit amounts, your circumstances, and your final decision in one place<br>- Five reader profiles - single, married, divorced, widowed, and government worker - showing exactly how each situation plays out from first number to final claim date</p><p><b>The book also covers the mistakes that cost retirees the most</b> - claiming early while still working, missing Medicare enrollment windows, triggering IRMAA surcharges, and leaving a surviving spouse with permanently reduced income.</p><p>This is not a general overview. Every chapter ends with a specific action step. Every worksheet is designed to be filled in and carried forward. By the time you finish, you will have a personalized claiming strategy built from your own earnings record, your health, your family, and your tax picture - not someone else's example.</p><p>Whether you are five years out or five months out, this decision is worth making carefully.</p><p><b>You paid into this system for decades. This book helps you get every dollar back.</b></p>

• The Social Security Decision: When to Claim Social Security Benefits, How to Navigate Medicare, and Get Every Dollar You, (Paperback)
• Author: Carl Dupuy
• ISBN: 9798255042418
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-04-07
• Page Count: 278