WAIT UNTIL FULL RETIREMENT AGE
In a survey by MassMutual Life Insurance Co., more than 70 percent of respondents incorrectly assumed the retirement age was 65. Full retirement age is 66 for people born between 1943 and 1954 and rises incrementally to 67 for those born in 1960 and after. Although you can start collecting Social Security benefits when you turn 62, the amount of your monthly payment is permanently reduced. For some, the reduction can be as much as 30 percent.