April 30, 2025
A new CRI Working Paper examines the impact of Social Security claiming timing on older adults’ financial outcomes by constructing an Optimization Failure (OF) index, which measures the difference between optimal and observed claim timing. The authors – Zeewen Lee, Ph.D. and CRI Non-Resident Scholar Manita Rao, Ph.D. – find that sub-optimal claiming is associated with a decline in real estate and total wealth but also improves cash flow after claiming. They also find that these outcomes are more prominent among those who claim early when compared with those who claim late.
Watch this one-hour webinar to learn more about the latest research and hear from experts about the importance of Social Security claiming timing, how Social Security and private retirement savings work together, and the impact of decisions on overall retirement readiness and financial well-being.
Moderator:
- Angela Antonelli, Research Professor and Executive Director, Center for Retirement Initiatives, Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy
Panelists:
- Craig Copeland, Ph.D., Director, Wealth Benefits Research, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
- Joel Eskovitz, Director, Social Security and Savings, AARP Public Policy Institute
- Mary Beth Franklin, Founder, RetirePro, and Certified Financial Planner
- Manita Rao, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute; and Non-Resident Scholar, Georgetown University Center for Retirement Initiatives
- Sita Slavov, Ph.D., Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University