Doing This 1 Thing Will Make Your Social Security Filing Decision Less Stressful

Choosing an age to claim Social Security isn't easy. If you file for benefits early -- meaning, before you reach full retirement age -- you'll reduce them on a permanent basis. If you delay your filing past full retirement age, you'll get a higher monthly benefit, but you'll then have to wait longer to get your money.

Either way, there's one important step you can take ahead of retirement that will make the decision of when to claim your benefits much easier: Amass a healthy level of savings in a dedicated retirement plan.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Social Security is not supposed to serve as your sole income source in retirement. The average senior today collects a little more than $1,500 a month, which, chances are, is a lot less than what you collect in your paychecks. In fact, Social Security will generally replace about 40% of your pre-retirement income if you earn an average wage, and most seniors need roughly twice that amount of money to enjoy retirement and cover their expenses throughout it.

Source Fool.com