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Social Security Optimization


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Social Security Optimization. Modeled Across Your Real Numbers.

Social Security optimization modeled around your actual numbers: when to claim, how spousal and survivor benefits work, and how the timing fits the broader withdrawal sequence. 

Schedule A Consultation Call (561) 210-7339
Fiduciary CFP® Multi-Scenario Modeling Spousal Coordination Tax-Aware

WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE US

The claiming decision is permanent. We model it before you make it.

Three or four scenarios, not one

We model claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70 against your actual benefit, your spouse's benefit, your other income, and your health and longevity assumptions.

Spousal coordination

Married couples have more levers than single filers. Who claims when, what spousal benefit applies, and what the survivor benefit math says all matter.

Tied to the withdrawal sequence

Social Security is one income source among several. The right claim age depends on what else is funding the early retirement years.

Tax math factored in

Up to 85% of Social Security can be taxable depending on your other income. We coordinate the claim with Roth conversion strategy and IRA withdrawals.

Long-term, not transactional

We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.

South Florida-rooted, nationally licensed

Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.

The default math.

Social Security benefits grow about 8% per year for each year you delay claiming past full retirement age (currently 66 to 67 for most people), up to age 70. That growth isn't market-dependent. It's guaranteed by the formula. For most people in good health with other income to bridge the gap, delaying produces the largest lifetime expected payout.

But the default math isn't the right answer for everyone. Cases where claiming earlier makes more sense include shorter projected longevity, no spouse to claim against, immediate income needs that would otherwise require depleting investment assets too fast, or a benefit that's small enough that the delay doesn't meaningfully change the picture.

What we cover.

  • Claiming age modeling. The full math, year by year, for each scenario.
  • Spousal benefit strategy. When a lower-earning spouse should claim against their own record vs. the higher-earner's.
  • Survivor benefit planning. The strategy that determines the survivor benefit, which often runs for many years after the first spouse passes.
  • Divorced-spouse benefits. Eligibility, timing, and how to claim without contacting the ex-spouse.
  • Working-while-claiming considerations. The earnings test for claiming before full retirement age, and when it makes sense to keep working anyway.
  • Tax coordination. How claiming timing interacts with Roth conversions, IRA withdrawals, and the provisional income calculation that determines taxation of benefits.

RELATED SERVICES

Where Social Security fits.

The claim decision lives inside the broader retirement plan:

Retirement Planning

The hub. Income strategy, withdrawal sequencing, RMDs, healthcare bridge.

See retirement planning →

Tax Planning

Up to 85% of Social Security can be taxed. The coordination matters.

See tax planning →

Roth Conversion Strategy

Often paired with delayed claiming, since Roth conversions in the low-income years before claiming can produce big lifetime tax savings

See roth conversion strategy →

Who This Is For

Common situations.

Social Security optimization matters most at these moments:

Pre-Retirees Within 5 Years Dual-Income Households Widows (Survivor Benefits) Divorced Women

What we won't pretend.

Contact Us Today

We don't know how long you'll live. Nobody does. The best we can do is model multiple longevity assumptions and tell you what the answer is under each. The breakeven age between claiming at 62 and claiming at 70 is somewhere in the early 80s for most filers. Live past it, delay wins. Live short of it, claim early wins. Plan around the math you actually believe, not the math somebody hopes for.

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QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Common questions about Social Security

  • It depends on your health, your spouse's benefit, your other income sources, and your tax situation. The default math favors delaying to 70 because the benefit grows about 8% per year past full retirement age. But the right answer can be earlier if you've shorter projected longevity, no spouse to claim against, or income needs that outweigh the breakeven math.
  • For most filers, the breakeven between claiming at 62 and claiming at 70 falls somewhere in the early 80s. If you live past it, delaying wins on cumulative benefits received. If you do not, claiming early wins. The right answer also has to account for spousal and survivor benefits, taxes, and how Social Security interacts with your other income.
  • Under current rules, you receive the higher of the two, not the sum. If your own benefit's larger than the spousal benefit you would qualify for, you receive your own. If the spousal benefit (typically up to 50% of your spouse's primary insurance amount) is larger, you receive that instead, starting when both of you're claiming.
  • If you claim Social Security before full retirement age and continue working, benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above an annual limit (around $22,000 in 2024). The reduction goes away at full retirement age. The reduced benefits aren't lost permanently; they're added back in the form of a higher monthly benefit after you reach full retirement age.
  • Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be taxable depending on your provisional income (which combines half your Social Security, all taxable income, and certain tax-exempt interest). For high-income retirees, planning the order of withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts can keep more of your Social Security tax-free.

Find Us

Two offices, one team.

Boca Raton (Home Office)

1200 North Federal Highway, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 210-7339

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Plantation

7901 SW 6th Court, Suite 320

Plantation, FL 33324

(954) 809-3553

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Serving

South Florida cities and neighborhoods

Palm Beach County

Boca Raton Highland Beach Delray Beach Boynton Beach West Palm Beach Palm Beach Palm Beach Gardens

Broward County

Plantation Fort Lauderdale Coral Springs Weston Cooper City Parkland

Ready to talk about social security?

The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.

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