When should I claim Social Security? How do I optimize my start age in PortfolioPilot?

The optimal Social Security claiming age depends on your health, other income sources, marital status, and portfolio size. PortfolioPilot helps you model the trade-offs.

Compare different claiming ages with what-if scenarios:

Open Retirement planner → People tab and find the Social Security start age field.
Save the current setup, change the start age, and save it as a new what-if scenario.
Repeat for the ages you want to compare (e.g. 62, 67, 70). Switch between the saved scenarios to see how each one changes your retirement success probability and projected net worth side-by-side.

If you have a spouse, the higher earner generally delays to maximize the survivor benefit, and each of you can configure your own start age — so you can also compare claim-timing combinations across both of you. Use the SSA quick calculator to estimate your exact benefit at each age.

General principle: claiming at 62 gives smaller monthly payments but more years of payments; delaying past full retirement age (up to 70) increases your monthly benefit by approximately 8% per year (Social Security Administration delayed retirement credit). The planner shows whether the higher monthly benefit from delaying outweighs the years of payments you'd receive by claiming early for your specific situation.

Last updated on

May 25, 2026

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Note: our use of the term AI refers to all artificial intelligence models used including large language models, proprietary economic models that incorporate regression or dynamic factors, and machine learning methods like supervised learning.

1. As of November 14, 2025
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2. As of November 14, 2025
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3. $30B+ Assets on Platform as of February 20, 2025. Aggregated across all plans (including the free plan). Assets on Platform represent the total value of connected and manually inputted accounts (including assets like real estate and private equity) and does not in any way represent Asset Under Management as Global Predictions does not manage any client funds.

4. Global Predictions Secures a Winning Spot in International M6 Financial Forecasting Competition

5. Comparison made to an individual with $1M AUM, paying an "average wealth manager fee" of 1.04% based on publicly available McKinsey / PriceMetrix industry data. 1.04% * 1M = $10,400 per annum. PortfolioPilot Annual Gold pricing is $20/mo * 12mo = $240 per annum. 240/10,400 – 1 = ~98% lower. Actual fees paid to any individual financial advisor will depend on specific financial circumstances and arrangements.

7. The 1.94% referenced figure represents the average calculated monthly continuous tax-loss harvesting gain over a 4-year period from 2018-2021 in the 2024-published JP Morgan report titled "Continuous tax-loss harvesting yields more potential for tax savings" (link).

8. Case studies presented are hypothetical scenarios and intended for illustrative purposes only. They do not represent an actual client, investment or experience, but rather are meant to provide an example of the intended investment process and methodology. An individual's experience may vary based on his or her circumstances. There can be no assurance that the Firm will be able to achieve similar results in comparable situations. No portion of this case study is to be interpreted as a testimonial or endorsement of the Firm's investment advisory services. The information contained herein should not be construed as personal investment advice.

9. The financial advisor described in this marketing language is referring to you, the reader. PortfolioPilot is meant to be an aid to the self-directed investor. "Complete financial advice" refers to the fact that PortfolioPilot includes tools for estate planning, tax optimization, net worth visualization, and scenario modeling, not just investment recommendations. See globalpredictions.com/disclosures for descriptions of conflicts of interest, use of AI, bias, and any other disclosures for Global Predictions Inc.

10. This analysis is based on data from publicly available reports, academic studies, and articles. Sources include Mullainathan et al. (2012): Study highlighting biases in financial advice and its misalignment with client interests; Morningstar (2024): Report on typical update frequencies from financial advisors; Bodnaruk and Simonov (2014): Research on the limited impact of financial expertise on investment outcomes; Financhill: Insights on hidden fees in financial advising, including expense ratios and transaction costs, as noted by Warren Buffett; Foerster et al. (2014): Study on the costs of financial advice, including average AUM fees of 2.43%.

11. $93M number calculated as 2025 YTD TLH savings study conducted across 24,115 PortfolioPilot users on November 14, 2025.

12. Based on assumptions and projections that may not reflect actual outcomes.