The Social Security Advice Most Working-Class Retirees Wish They’d Ignored

Regret is common in retirement, and Social Security decisions are often where it starts. For working-class retirees who rely heavily on those checks, even small choices can turn into surprising retirement mistakes that linger for years.

In many cases, those mistakes don't come from carelessness but from advice that sounded sensible, was widely repeated, and felt safe to follow at the time. Only later did the downsides become clear.

Below are three common pieces of Social Security advice that many working-class retirees wish they had ignored.

"Start collecting early because you paid into the system"

One of the most common pieces of advice retirees hear is to take Social Security as soon as it becomes available. That usually means filing at 62, the earliest possible age.

On the surface, it sounds sensible. You've paid in, the future can feel uncertain, and getting money now seems safer than waiting.

For many retirees, though, that decision later turns into regret. A Nationwide Financial Retirement Institute survey found that 38% of people who claimed before full retirement age (FRA) said they wished they had waited longer.

What drives the regret is that claiming early permanently shrinks your monthly check, often by up to 30% compared with waiting.

Nationwide's analysis shows how large that gap can be. Retirees who claimed as soon as they were eligible received about $1,190 per month on average. Those who waited until full retirement age averaged around $1,506, while people who delayed closer to age 70 received about $1,924 per month.

Once benefits begin, that lower amount is locked in for life. For working-class retirees who depend on Social Security to cover basic expenses, that smaller check often becomes the decision they most wish they had slowed down and reconsidered.

"You won't live long enough for waiting to matter"

Another piece of advice many working-class retirees hear is that waiting won't pay off because they won't live long enough for it to matter. If you've worked a physical job or have health concerns, that belief can feel reasonable.

The problem is that many people underestimate how long retirement actually lasts. As retirees age, regret about claiming too early often grows.

Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that 19% of retirees regretted claiming Social Security too early, and that regret was more common among older respondents. Put simply, the longer people lived, the more they wished they had waited.

That pattern shows up in real life as well. On the Reddit forum Surviving on SS, where retirees living mostly on Social Security share experiences, many admit they misjudged their longevity. One poster, YorkshireCircle, wrote, "I started SS (Social Security) one year after I reached my FRA. Looking back, I could have waited until 70 but didn't."

The same research from NBER can help explain why. When older Americans were shown basic life-expectancy information for people their age, regret about early claiming jumped 42%. The effect was strongest among people in good health, who realized they were likely to rely on Social Security for far more years than they had expected.

"Social Security will cover the basics no matter what"

Social Security was never designed to replace a full paycheck, yet many working-class retirees assumed it would be enough to handle everyday expenses.

On average, benefits replace about 40% of pre-retirement income, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). At the same time, major costs like housing, food, utilities, and health care often stay the same or increase in retirement.

In fact, research from the University of Southern California's Center for Economic and Social Research shows that workers consistently overestimate how much Social Security will pay. That optimism leads many to save less or delay building other sources of income while they're still working.

Once retirement begins, reality sets in. Checks arrive smaller than expected, prices keep rising, and there's little backup to fall back on. Research from NBER also finds that more than half of older Americans regret not saving more, and many also regret not working longer or building additional cushions beyond Social Security.

The impact is especially tough for lower-income retirees and women, who often rely on Social Security for most or all of their income. When that single check falls short, there's very little room to adjust.

Bottom line

Social Security decisions are easy to rush and difficult to reverse. Advice that sounds harmless can create problems that only show up years later.

Most regrets trace back to the same assumptions, like claiming too early, underestimating how long retirement can last, or expecting Social Security to do more than it can. Those choices often feel sensible in the moment, but they limit flexibility down the road.

Learning from others can change the outcome. Taking time to review the details and treat Social Security as part of a broader retirement plan can help you avoid the same mistakes and reduce the chance of looking back with an "if only."

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