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Does Retiring Early Reduce Social Security? The Truth.
Does retiring early reduce Social Security? The truth—how benefits are really calculated: the 35-year rule, Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME), bend points, indexing only through age 59, and why “zeros” hurt.
In this episode, I break down:
Why Social Security is based on your highest 35 indexed years—not your last job.
How indexing stops after age 59, so skipping some early-60s work years often matters less than headlines suggest.
Why zeros are the enemy—and simple ways part-time income can replace them.
A clear Path A vs. Path B example (keep working vs. hang it up) to show how the…
The skinny
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