For Young Widows, the Best Social Security Claiming Choice Isn't Always What It Seems

What You Need To Know

• Welcome to Connecting the Dots, Marcia Mantell's column on real-life decisions tied to Social Security claiming and retirement.
• Estimates from the SSA do not provide enough information for an informed claiming decision.
• It's typically best for a widow to delay their biggest benefit until it's maximized. But even that general rule leaves advisors with dots to connect.