When I retired and filed for Social Security, I thought I had done everything “by the book” after years of research. I’d run calculators, read Social Security Administration (SSA) guides and followed discussions from other retirees who seemed more confused than I felt at the time. A year into living on my benefit, though, I learned more from my mistakes than from any brochure or online explainer ever written.
I first shared my story in a thread on Reddit’s r/social security, where retirees shared advice on pensions and social security. Here are the three biggest lessons I learned the hard way after I stopped working and started collecting benefits.
