Roughly one-third of men and nearly four in 10 women claimed Social Security at age 62 in 2015.

More likely than not, those Americans needed the money for living expenses. But what if they didn’t? What if they were able to invest their Social Security checks in stocks, bonds, real estate and the like? Would they be better off at some point? And, if so, would it make sense for you to do the same?

“This is always a tricky question,” said Jim Blankenship, author of A Social Security Owner’s Manual.