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Dear US retiree,
Everyone has an opinion about when to claim Social Security.
Claim at 62. Claim at 67. Wait until 70. The debate never ends.
Here is what almost nobody is telling you.
When you claim matters. But there is another lever that could move your monthly check just as much. Maybe more.
And most retirees have never heard of it.
The Last Time Stocks Were This Expensive Was December 1999.
"Right now, it's good. But it was in '72, '86, 2000, and 2007." - Jamie Dimon, May 2026.
The Shiller CAPE ratio just hit 42.3. The only time in 140 years it's been higher? December 1999.
Stocks can stay expensive for a long time...
It’s one metric to consider, but when your portfolio is built around the most expensive equities in modern history, what else you diversify with could really matter.
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The Formula Nobody Explains.
The SSA does not simply look at your career earnings and write you a check.
They take your 35 highest-earning years. Index each one for wage inflation so an old paycheck counts in today's dollars. Add them up. Divide by 420 months.
That number is called your AIME. Your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings.
Your AIME is the engine underneath your entire Social Security benefit.
And here is the trap.
If you worked fewer than 35 years the SSA does not give you a pass on the missing years.
It assigns them a zero.
Every zero gets averaged in with your real earnings. Every zero pulls the number down. Every zero means a smaller monthly check. For the rest of your life.
If you spent your twenties in grad school, raising kids, starting a business, or doing anything other than earning a W-2 wage, those years are in your record right now as zeros.
Quietly costing you money every month in retirement.
Wall Street’s New Shopping List
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The updated 10 Best Stocks to Own in 2026 report lays out the tickers, trends, and catalysts.
The Math That Changes Everything.
Here is a real example the SSA's own calculator confirms.
Dorothy worked hard. Finished her career earning $110,000 per year. According to the SSA formula, her monthly benefit at age 67 is $2,833.
Now imagine Dorothy takes on consulting work for three more years and bumps her annual earnings to $165,000.
Her monthly benefit jumps to $2,981.
That is $148 more per month. Every month. For the rest of her life.
Over a 20-year retirement that is $35,520.
From three years of consulting.
Here is the part worth sitting with.
Delayed retirement credits max out at a 24% boost by waiting from 67 to 70. That is a hard ceiling built into the system.
Your AIME has no ceiling.
One or two years of higher earned income can replace a zero in your record or a low-earning early year — and produce a benefit increase that rivals or beats three years of waiting to claim.
That is not widely advertised. But it is math.
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OpenAI and Anthropic could bring a new wave of AI attention to the public markets. But investors don’t have to wait for the IPOs.
MarketBeat’s 7 AI Stocks to Buy Now report reveals 7 publicly traded companies positioned to benefit from the next phase of AI investment.
What to Do With This Right Now.
Log into ssa.gov/myaccount today.
Pull up your earnings history.
Count the zeros. Count the years where you earned significantly below your peak.
If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, or if your early years were low, you have a live opportunity sitting in front of you right now.
Part-time consulting.
Freelance work.
A side income that earns you a W-2.
Any of these in the years before you claim can replace a weak year in your record and permanently raise your benefit.
This is not complicated. It is arithmetic.
The SSA has a free calculator at ssa.gov. Run Elizabeth's scenario with your own numbers. See what one or two extra years of good earnings actually does to your monthly check.
You might be surprised what you find.
When the Math Gets Complex, Get Help.
Social Security optimization is one of those areas where the difference between a good decision and a great one can be worth tens of thousands of dollars over a retirement.
The AIME calculation.
The claiming age strategy.
The spousal benefit coordination.
The IRMAA implications of your income decisions.
These variables interact in ways that are genuinely difficult to model on a kitchen table.
If you have $250,000 or more in assets, getting a professional set of eyes on this is not a luxury.
It is probably the highest-return hour you will spend this year.
WiserAdvisor matches people with $250,000 or more in assets to up to three vetted, fiduciary financial advisors.
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You answer a few questions about your savings, your timeline, and your goals.
They review their network and send you matches aligned with your specific situation.
You decide who, if anyone, you want to talk to.
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Just qualified professionals who specialize in exactly this kind of planning.
If your retirement is complex enough to benefit from professional guidance, WiserAdvisor is worth the 10 minutes it takes to get matched.
One More Move Worth Knowing About.
While you are thinking about maximizing your Social Security benefit, here is a separate consideration entirely.
Social Security is a government promise. Subject to the same political pressures, trust fund timelines, and COLA calculations we cover every week.
A genuinely diversified retirement does not rely entirely on any single promise, including Washington's.
Gold has served as a store of value through every political cycle, every inflation spike, every currency pressure of the last fifty years. Not as a replacement for other assets. As a counterweight to them.
Goldco lets you hold physical gold and silver inside a self-directed IRA. Same tax advantages you already have. A different underlying asset entirely.
Minimum purchase is $10,000. Shipping is free. Goldco will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver. And they have maintained an A+ BBB rating for over a decade.
Curious whether physical gold belongs in your mix? Download Goldco's free gold and silver guide. Read it with a skeptical eye.
Decide for yourself.
Just keep in mind that gold is generally best used as one part of a well-diversified portfolio, not as a replacement for equities or income assets.
The Bottom Line.
Everyone is arguing about when to claim.
The smarter question is what your earnings record actually looks like before you claim anything.
Count your zeros.
Run the SSA calculator.
Model a few more years of good earnings against your current projected benefit.
You might discover the most powerful lever in your entire retirement plan has been sitting in your Social Security statement the whole time.
Unused.
Stay sharp.
— US Retirement Report
This newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before making any decisions.
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