Nevin's Data "Points"

  The most recent “debate” was inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article by Derek Tharp — an associate professor of finance at the University of Southern Maine —   titled “ Why Delaying Your Social Security Benefits May Not Make Sense .” Shortly thereafter,  Schroders 2025 U.S. Retirement Survey  stated that 44% of non-retirees plan to file for Social Security benefits before reaching age 67 (the full retirement age for everyone born in 1960 or later) — and “just” 10% plan to wait until age 70 (when an individual reaches their maximum monthly benefit). And, sure enough, the retirement industry commentary that followed was largely in the vein of “can you believe people are ignoring all this free money?” But it was the Wall Street Journal article that appeared to draw the most critical fire — largely from academics, and mostly (it seemed to me) quibbling about some of Tharp’s math assumptions (when you’re guessing, even rationally, at things that can’t be precis...

I’ve been honored with a lot of praise and congratulations over the past couple of months about my “retirement” (and not a little skepticism about my understanding of the term) — but in quiet moments, there’s been one question that keeps coming up. That question — and it generally arises once topics like “what are your plans,” “are you going to move,” and “can your wife really stand having you around all the time” have been broached — is, quite simply, “how do you know when it’s time to retire?” Honestly, it’s a complicated question, and one to which the answer is deeply, even intimately, personal.  For many it’s not their choice, of course. Surveys suggest that for significant minorities the timing is imposed on them by external factors; a job layoff, a physical impediment, or perhaps caretaking responsibilities. While none of those were factors in my decision, at the outset, it’s worth bearing in mind that the “when” is not always in your control. For most peop...