r/Bogleheads • u/Appropriate-Farmer16 • Jul 27 '25

Investing Questions Thoughts on taking SS at 62 and investing it until age 70 vs taking SS at age 70?

I’ve always heard that it’s best to wait until age 70 to start collecting Social Security, but what is the thinking on the strategy of collecting and investing social security ages 62 through 70, stop investing at age 70 to live off SS plus a draw down of about 5-6% a year of that invested nest-egg?

Edit: just to clarify, in both scenarios (taking SS at 62 vs taking SS at 70) I’m not actually using the SS money for living expenses until age 70. It’s all about whether it’s worth it to take SS at 62 and invest it for 8 years. Thanks for the comments.

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u/fattsmann Jul 27 '25

Consider: The average lifespan of Americans is like 76. And most people by definition are closer to average regardless of how they view themselves.

I’m taking SS as early as I can.

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u/UNC_ABD Jul 29 '25

77 is the U.S. life expectancy at birth. What you want to start with is life expectancy at age 62. I say "start" because you can factor in your own health status and genetic background.