A Few Useful Finds for Life After Work — Issue #3

Hi from Stefan,

Welcome to the third issue of this biweekly newsletter.

Nothing in this newsletter is sponsored or written for compensation.

When should you start drawing Social Security?

The monthly benefit increases by about 8% for each year you delay, up to age 70.

The conventional wisdom says that waiting until 70 — if you have sufficient assets to bridge the gap — often leads to a higher lifetime benefit. And yet, the vast majority of retirees claim earlier. Derek Tharp argues that delaying isn’t necessarily the best decision, while Edward McQuarrie and William Bernstein counter that the conventional advice to delay is sound after all.

If you’re thinking seriously about when to claim, these perspectives are well worth reading side-by-side.

What I’m reading

Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy. It pre-dates the Internet, but still a classic. Timeless insights for both businesspeople who advertise, and for consumers who are advertised to.

What I’m watching

MHz Choice is a streaming service devoted to TV shows from around the world, mostly Europe. Irene and I subscribe through Amazon Prime Video.

Our favorites include Scandinavian “Nordic Noir” mysteries, and the long-running German Tatort police-procedural.

New on The Best Third: link to your investment accounts

You can now securely link to your investment accounts from The Best Third (using the Plaid service). This allows you to refresh account balances easily so your plans and forecasts stay up to date — without having to manually re-enter the information.

Linking is optional. You remain in control and may unlink accounts at any time.

To try it out, log in and visit your linked accounts.

Warmly,
Stefan Sharkansky, PhD
Founder of The Best Third