Deciding when to claim Social Security benefits is a challenging financial decision that requires an assessment of your life expectancy, ability to work, health care needs, spousal situation and financial solvency. The complexity of the Social Security system can be overwhelming. The Sept, 2012 brief and audio file explore a few of the financial issues involved in deciding when to take Social Security benefits.

*Listen now or download the audio file to an mp3 player for later listening by following the steps on this tip sheet: Adding Podcasts to iPods

See also the 2010 Brief in this series with basic background on Social Security.