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Turning Full Retirement Age in 2021? Consider Filing for Benefits This Month.

Turning Full Retirement Age in 2021? Consider Filing for Benefits This Month.
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Tom Margenau
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I write a column similar to this one every January. But I don’t mind plagiarizing myself, because it contains a very important message for people planning to retire in 2021.

January is a critical month for the hundreds of thousands of potential Social Security beneficiaries who are reaching 66 and 2 months, their so-called full retirement age (FRA), in 2021. The important message: All of them should at least consider the possibility of filing for their benefits this month, even though they may not be reaching their retirement age until later in the year.

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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