Originally Posted by
chewybrian
Hey, all,
2--When do you first get benefits, and what are the plusses and minuses of waiting longer to get a bigger check? (I am 55)
As you'll see from the SS site, the longer you wait the higher your monthly check.
If you know exactly how long you're going to live it's fairly easy to calculate the optimal age to start collecting so that you get the maximum amount over your lifetime. If you don't have that information, the decision becomes a bit more difficult.