If
the average Social Security retirement benefit sounds unimpressive, remember that Social Security is meant to supplement the money you've set aside for retirement — likely earned through a qualified retirement plan such as a 401 (k), individual retirement account or other tax - advantaged account.
One of the reasons that
the average Social Security retirement benefit amount is so far from the maximum is because the largest number of Americans begin receiving benefits as soon as they're allowed — at age 62.
Average Social Security retirement benefits are a healthy $ 1,379.93.
Not exact matches
For these people, their sole
retirement income, aside from potential aid from friends and family, comes from
Social Security, for which the current
average monthly
benefit is $ 1,230.
The survey of 903 adults aged 50 or older, who are either already retired or plan to retire in the next ten years, revealed those who began receiving
Social Security income early report a lower
average monthly payment ($ 1,190) than those who started at their full
retirement age ($ 1,506) and those who delayed
benefits until age 70 ($ 1,924).
thanks, and yes, a pittance of a pension and regular checkups keep us on budget and head off any problems — best decision i ever made (financial or otherwise) was serving our country doing search - and - rescue, oil and chemical spill remediation, etc. (you can guess the branch of service)-- along the way, frugal living, along with dollar - cost
averaging, asset allocation, and diversification allowed us to retire early — Vanguard has been very good over the years, despite the Dot Bomb, 2002, and the recession (where we actually came out better with a modest but bargain
retirement home purchase)... it's not easy building additional «legs» on a
retirement platform, but now that we're here, cash, real estate, investments and insurance products, along with a small pension all help to avoid any real dependence on
social security (we won't even need it at full
retirement age)-- however, like nearly everybody, we're headed for Medicare in several years, albeit with a nice supplemental and pharmacy
benefits — but our main concern is staying fit, active, and healthy!
Then we use the
average of your highest 35 years of indexed earnings to calculate your
Social Security benefit at full
retirement age.
Of workers 56 - 61 years old, 39 percent have no employer - sponsored
retirement plan whatsoever and will likely depend entirely on
Social Security, which pays an
average benefit of $ 1,239 per month.
Forty - five million retired workers and their dependents receive
Social Security retirement benefits as of June 2017, with an
average monthly
benefit of $ 1,369.
✓
Social Security and / or pension
benefits won't cover your regular expenses ✓ You're over 45 but not too far into
retirement ✓ You've accumulated between $ 250,000 and $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✓ You have
average or above -
average health ✓ You're seeking greater certainty in
retirement and more of an insurance product ✓ You'd like to reduce your Required Minimum Distributions and defer associated taxes
✗
Social Security and / or pension
benefits cover your regular expenses ✗ You're younger than 45 or over 75 years old ✗ You've accumulated less than $ 250,000 or more than $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✗ You have below -
average health ✗ You're seeking higher risk and more of an investment product
Let's assume you and your spouse will each receive the
average monthly
Social Security retirement benefit of $ 1,294 (as of May 2014).
✓
Social Security and / or pension
benefits won't cover your regular expenses ✓ You're a pre-retiree or early in
retirement ✓ You've accumulated between $ 250,000 and $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✓ You have
average or above -
average health ✓ You're seeking greater certainty in
retirement and more of an insurance product ✓ You don't need access to the money immediately
✗
Social Security and / or pension
benefits cover your regular expenses ✗ You're younger than 45 or over 75 years old ✗ You've accumulated less than $ 250,000 or more than $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✗ You have below -
average health ✗ You're seeking higher risk and more of an investment product ✗ You need access to the money immediately
Plus, 5 ways to turn
retirement savings into income, how a big lottery win might affect your
Social Security benefits, and if you dollar cost
average into Bitcoin to buy winter parkas, how is that... Read more
Since 2004, total employer contributions for teacher
retirement benefits, inclusive of
Social Security, have increased from 12 to almost 23 percent of salaries on
average nationally.
✗
Social Security and / or pension
benefits cover your regular expenses ✗ You're years away from
retirement ✗ You've accumulated less than $ 250,000 or more than $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✗ You have below -
average health ✗ You're seeking higher risk and more of an investment product
✓
Social Security and / or pension
benefits won't cover your regular expenses ✓ You're about to retire or are already in
retirement ✓ You've accumulated between $ 250,000 and $ 5 million in
retirement savings ✓ You have
average or above -
average health ✓ You're seeking greater certainty in
retirement and more of an insurance product
If there was a percentage increase in the
average CPI - W for the third quarter of the current year over the
average for the third quarter of the last year a COLA took effect, then
Social Security will increase
retirement benefits by that amount.
Social security retirement benefits replace about 40 % of the
average earner's salary (not living expenses).
Although
Social Security retirement benefits are protected against inflation by annual Cost of Living Adjustments, the estimated
average retirement benefit for retirees is only about $ 1,360 a month, and the survivors of workers receive an
average of only $ 1,285 a month (in 2016).
One of the key components that the
Social Security Administration uses to calculate your
Social Security retirement benefit is called the
Average Indexed Monthly Earnings, or AIME (don't you just love the acronym - loving
Social Security Administration?
For example, if your full
retirement age begins at 66,
Social Security payments will increase 8 % annually on
average for every year you choose to delay
benefits until age 70.4
Consider that
Social Security retirement benefits are only designed to replace about 40 % of the
average worker's income, so it's fair to expect that the same can be said of survivor
benefits.
If you have
average earnings, your
Social Security retirement benefits will replace only about 40 percent.
The
average age for
retirement is 62,1 which is an important factor2 because that is when you can start claiming
Social Security benefits.
If you have
average earnings, your
Social Security retirement benefits will replace only about 40 % of your pre-
retirement earnings, so you'll need to supplement your
benefits with a pension, savings or investments.