I’ve been doing this blog called the RetiredGuy and I picked that name because I am a retired guy, I like being retired and I wanted to express my opinions on a variety of issues. But despite calling the blog the RetiredGuy, I usually don’t address retirement issues issues in a big way.

But what started me thinking about was an email discussion of when to start taking Social Security among my high school classmates. Most of us are still working but a few (like me) decided to retire early.

So I looked into Social Security because a big question is – When should I take Social Security? The Social Security website has lots of information on this. It is a very personal decision based on your situation.

In general, you can start as early as 62, but the longer you wait (until age 70), the higher your monthly check. So if you can afford to wait longer, you might be better-off.

I started writing this post last year and never finished but now it seems it was good that I waited. It sems there are several books out there than discuss this point.

A particularly good one is Get What’s Yours which I review last month. The book discusses this question as well as other strategies to maximize your Social Security benefits.