{"id":5902,"date":"2025-01-23T15:34:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.billbenoist.com\/staging\/6390\/?p=5902"},"modified":"2025-01-23T15:36:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:36:29","slug":"my-social-security-gamble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billbenoist.com\/staging\/6390\/my-social-security-gamble\/","title":{"rendered":"My Social Security Gamble"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]<div class=\"shortcode-wrapper shortcode-video fitVids clearfix\"><span><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"When Family History Meets Financial Math | My Social Security Gamble\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gclKojsE53o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div class=\"shortcode-wrapper shortcode-spacer clearfix\"><div class=\"spacer\"><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<span style=\"color: #001085;\">Let me tell you why I made my social security gamble.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">This year marks my full retirement age, but my Social Security checks have already been arriving for three years. While I&#8217;ve previously shared several practical reasons for claiming benefits at 62, there&#8217;s a deeply personal factor that influenced my decision \u2013 one that many of you might relate to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">Growing up as an only child, I witnessed a concerning pattern in my family&#8217;s health history. My grandfather passed from heart failure at 53. My father succumbed to a heart attack at 44. Later, I lost my mother to lung cancer when she was 54.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">As I approached and then surpassed these ages, thoughts about mortality became impossible to ignore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">The math was compelling: claiming at 62 meant $2,044 monthly. If I lived to 70, that would amount to $196,000 \u2013 significantly more than waiting for full retirement age or age 70 benefits. While I recognized the potential advantage of delayed benefits should I live into my 90s or beyond, I had to weigh this against my family health history and personal circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">I&#8217;m healthier than my parents were \u2013 I quit smoking 25 years ago, maintain regular medical check-ups, and stay active. However, the psychological impact of outliving multiple family members shaped my perspective on timing Social Security benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">The decision has given me freedom to scale back my one-on-one coaching work and focus on my YouTube channel and online courses. The monthly checks, combined with my savings and business income, have provided both financial security and peace of mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">Today, as I reach full retirement age, I have zero regrets about claiming early. The benefits were money I had contributed throughout my career and accessing them at 62 aligned with both my personal circumstances and peace of mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">Want to learn more about the practical reasons behind my early Social Security decision?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #001085;\">Click here to watch <strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gclKojsE53o\">My Social Security Gamble<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=&#8221;middle&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1629957205836{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #badce5 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;4039&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]\n<h3>Looking to jump start your job search?<\/h3>\n<p>Join the FREE Masterclass: How to Find a Job That Fuels Your Passion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Free Training:<\/strong> For Professionals in Career Transition or Looking for a New Job[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=&#8221;Click Here to Register&#8221; color=&#8221;primary&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billbenoist.com%2Fhow-to-find-a-job-that-fuels-your-passion%2F&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,321],"tags":[322],"class_list":["post-5902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-social-security","tag-social-security"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - 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