Taking SS early (62)

[SDHNTR]

Swing...miss! LOL You're watching the wrong YouTube "guru".

Taxes bite hard — especially on SS and investment income

Social Security benefits are up to 85% taxable once combined income exceeds ~$44K (married).

Add capital-gains/dividend taxes, and your real “5–6% target” quickly shrinks:

6% gross return

− 15% capital-gains/dividend tax → ≈5.1%

− 3% inflation (average 2010-2024) → ≈2.1% real

And that’s before state taxes or any advisor fees.
So your so-called “easy 5–6%” becomes 2–3% real after-tax, best-case.

Delaying SS is like buying an inflation-proof, risk-free, 8% bond backed by the U.S. government — no market crash can touch it.

please, no more facts!