Ask the Retirement Expert About Social Security: Marcia Mantell

When to claim their Social Security benefits is the single most important financial decision most Americans will make in their lifetime, financial planning experts say.  

Optimizing the claiming decision can result in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional lifetime wealth aggregation, says Social Security expert Marcia Mantell, founder and president of Mantell Retirement Consulting Inc. and a ThinkAdvisor contributor. 

On the other hand, claiming mistakes can result in undue financial hardship during retirement, especially in cases where married couples fail to carefully coordinate their claiming strategies. It’s also critical to put the Social Security claiming decision into the proper context and consider clients’ investment portfolios, lifestyle expectations and longevity projections. 

In the second episode of Ask the Retirement Expert, Mantell speaks with ThinkAdvisor’s John Manganaro and digs into the latest trends in retirement planning and Social Security optimization — with a special focus on what advisors should discuss and consider pursuing with clients.

In this podcast, Mantell and Manganaro discuss:

• What key Social Security issues advisors should be watching most closely today. 
• What inflationary pressures and market volatility mean for retirees on fixed incomes. 
• Why advisors should be keeping up with the latest developments in the annuity marketplace. 
• What advisors need to know about the intersection of Social Security and Medicare planning. 
• How advisors should be speaking with clients about the future of funding for these two programs. 
• And more! 

To listen to the first episode in this series, click here.