Episode 5: The Social Security Decision You Can't Undo

For most people, Social Security is one of the largest financial assets they have — it just doesn't show up on a balance sheet. And the decision of when to claim it is permanent. Once you claim, you can't unclaim after the first twelve months. So why do most Americans claim at the earliest possible age? In this episode, Jason Branning walks through how Social Security actually works, why the break-even analysis most people use is an incomplete framework, and the five factors that actually drive a smart claiming decision: health and longevity, cash flow needs, the Roth conversion window, spousal coordination, and Medicare premiums. One widely cited analysis found that the aggregate lifetime loss from suboptimal Social Security claiming across all Americans is in the trillions of dollars. For individual households, the difference between the worst and best strategy can be $100,000 or more. This episode is worth your time. Host: Jason Branning, CFP®, RICP® — branwealth.com Music Credits: Original music composed and produced by Johnson Rhett & Jennings Duncan.