Figure out whether you should take benefits early. You probably shouldn’t.

A fatter Social Security check awaits those who delay collecting it until age 70. Only 3% of claimants start that late. Are the rest making a bad decision?

I can think of eight reasons for grabbing the money early. Three are smart. Five are dumb. If you are debating when to start, study your motives. Make sure you are in the smart group.

First get a handle on the value of your retirement benefit. Download the calculator from What’s Your Social Security Benefit Worth? Insert expected benefit amounts, ages, health statuses and genders.