Selecting a Social Security age to balance consumption and risk

Authors

  • Barry R. Cobb Virginia Military Institute, Department of Economics and Business
  • Jeffrey S. Smith Virginia Military Institute, Department of Economics and Business

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61190/fsr.v28i3.3427

Keywords:

Monte Carlo simulation, Consumption, Social Security

Abstract

This article uses Monte Carlo simulation to determine the maximum consumption given retire- ment at age 62, initial wealth, risk tolerance, and Social Security take decision. Coile et al. (2002) argue for a delay, because the payment increases seven percent for each year. Focusing on maximiz- ing the expected present value of benefits may be misguided. This article shows that, conditional on retirement at age 62, initial consumption is always maximized by taking Social Security no later than age 63; it also results in the highest simulated ending wealth at death, and the lowest amount of simulated time (if any) living on just Social Security.

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Published

2020-09-30

How to Cite

Cobb, B. R., & Smith, J. S. (2020). Selecting a Social Security age to balance consumption and risk. Financial Services Review, 28(3), 201–221. https://doi.org/10.61190/fsr.v28i3.3427

Issue

Section

New Original Submission