Home Retirement Social Security How Divorced Retirees Can Maximize Their Social Security Benefits: A Case Study Susan discovered several years after she filed for Social Security that she is ...

Additionally, Social Security may face financial strain that could weigh on COLA increases over the coming decades. That's why I'm not counting on Social Security to get me through retirement.

On average, Social Security covers 30.11% of retirees’ spending. Find out where Social Security benefits will cover the highest and lowest percentage of your spending in retirement.

If you’re counting on income from Social Security in retirement, you need to know this update!

The maximum Social Security retirement benefit is currently $5,108 per month, or $61,296 per year. What salary will you need to make to achieve this maximum benefit? Image source: Getty Images.

You can see how this plays out in the Social Security Administration's own data listing the average monthly benefit for retired workers at every possible claiming age between 62 and 70.

As with all your financial decisions, your Social Security claiming age will affect your partner, though perhaps not in the way you think.

Key Points Claiming early reduces your own retirement benefit, but it will not affect your partner's spousal benefit. If your partner claims early, that can reduce their spousal benefit by up to 35%.

The Social Security Administration, which overpays billions in benefits annually, is beginning to withhold some benefits sent to overpaid recipients.