4. Ignoring the Impact on Survivor Benefits

When a married couple relies on two Social Security checks to fund their lifestyle, the death of one spouse creates an immediate financial crisis. The household will not continue receiving both checks. Instead, the surviving spouse inherits the single highest payment between the two, and the smaller check vanishes permanently.

This dynamic makes the claiming decision of the higher-earning spouse a profound matter of life insurance. If the primary breadwinner claims their benefit early at age 62, they permanently lock in a reduced benefit not just for themselves, but for their surviving widow or widower. If they delay until age 70, they maximize the survivor benefit, ensuring the surviving spouse has the highest possible guaranteed income for the rest of their life.

“When you claim Social Security early, you are not just impacting your own retirement. If you are the higher earner, you are directly determining how much your surviving spouse will have to live on. Waiting until 70 is the cheapest life insurance policy you can buy.” — Suze Orman, Personal Finance Expert

Couples must strategize based on joint life expectancy, not just individual timelines. The higher earner should make every effort to delay claiming until age 70, even if it requires the lower-earning spouse to claim early to provide bridge income for the household.