At 63, Mark Bintzler is counting down the months to a long-anticipated retirement.

“We like to play golf. We like, you know, want to do all the activities. And the other thing I didn’t want to do is, I’m not going to retire from one job to work at another. I was going to be retired,” said Bintzler, a resident of Woodbury, Minnesota.

Bintzler plans to start taking Social Security at 65, but like many nearing retirement, he’s wrestled with the timing. 

Should you take benefits early at 62, wait for full retirement, or hold off until 70 to maximize the payout? That’s the question wealth advisor Brian Muller hears every day. He’s the founder of Momentous Wealth Advisors.

“A lot of people just kind of make the decision, well, because what their neighbor said, or what their friend is doing is, well, I’m taking it early as possible, and they give no thought to it at all,” Muller said.

He said the right strategy should match your reality. Your health, job security, your spouse’s benefits and how you’ll use the money.

“When you take it at 62, obviously you’re getting money now for eight years if you’re looking at filing at 62 versus 70. It takes less stress off your portfolio,” he said.

Muller developed what he calls the “secure framework” — a way to focus less on spreadsheets and more on life lived.

“When you look at any financial planning software and a lot of the gurus out there, they’re all going to say postpone it til 70, maximize your benefits,” he said. “They’re not looking at like what you’re doing with that Social Security money? If you take it early, are you investing it? Some of it? Are you using it? What’s the drain on your portfolio?”

For Bintzler, the decision came down to balance: taking his wife’s benefits soon, but waiting a bit on his own. He’s grateful the timing worked out, and he’s ready to make the most of it.

“It’s fantastic. It’s kind of the plan, right?” Bintzler said. “When you’re working you want to get to retirement, and to be able to do the things you want and you can’t do all the time now because you’ve got to go to work.”

Muller has a number of free tools, including his Social Security Secure Framework — on his website.

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