The earlier you claim Social Security, the smaller your monthly benefit will be. You must wait until 70 to apply if you want your largest possible checks. There are scenarios where claiming early ...

Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing ...

The average retired worker gets about $2,000 per month from Social Security. Beneficiaries who are 62 years old get about $650 less, on average. Claiming Social Security at 62 can result in a benefit ...

Choose your claiming age carefully and understand how this affects the size of your benefit. It's best to apply several months in advance of when you hope to claim. Gather your documents ahead of time ...

Few decisions are as important as deciding when you want to claim Social Security as you approach retirement. It's a decision that will permanently affect your monthly benefit, altering how your ...

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Social Security program will pay out around $1.6 trillion in benefits to roughly 72 million beneficiaries this year. The bulk of these ...