As with the overall process of planning for retirement income, there are certain important factors external to Social Security benefits that you need to take into account while planning when to file for benefits. In the list below I will detail some of these factors and why they are important to the process. Important Factors When Planning Social Security Filing Pension income. Pension income must be considered with special care when planning your Social Security filing strategy. Often, pensions will increase in value up to a certain age of commencement and then there are no increases after that age. Coordinating your pension with your Social Security benefits can enhance your overall income stream – since a pension is generally a guaranteed source of income for yourself and possibly your spouse. In addition, since many pensions are not indexed for inflation, meaning that there are no Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLAs), it probably makes […]

Sterling Raskie, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®
The latest in our Owner’s Manual series, A 401(k) Owner’s Manual, was published in January 2020 and is available on
A Medicare Owner’s Manual, is updated with 2020 facts and figures. This manual is available on
Social Security for the Suddenly Single can be found on Amazon at
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An IRA Owner’s Manual, 2nd Edition is available for purchase on Amazon. Click the link to choose the
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