When you’re planning to retire, a huge piece of the puzzle is social security. And in an era of disappearing pensions, it is one of the few sources of guaranteed income that lasts your entire lifetime.

But when should you claim it? Is it better to hold off until you’re older or claim it early? And what changes when you’re single…married…divorced…or widowed?

Certified financial planner Mary Beth Franklin, one of the country’s leading experts on social security and Medicare, is here to help you navigate these complex choices and provide you with the information you need to make the right decisions for you and your family.

Mary Beth Franklin is one of the country’s leading experts on Social Security and Medicare.

An award-winning journalist and Certified Financial Planner, Mary Beth writes a weekly column on retirement issues for Investment News, a publication for financial advisers. She is also author of the ebook, Maximizing Social Security Retirement Benefits.

Last year, Mary Beth’s column was recognized by Editor and Publisher with an EPPY award for best business blog of 2021. In 2016, the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement honored Mary Beth with a Hero Award for her efforts to improve retirement security for women. She is also serves on the CFP Board’s Women’s Initiative Council, which focuses on improving gender and racial diversity in the financial services profession.

Previously, Mary Beth served as the tax and retirement editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and editor of Kiplinger’s annual Retirement Planning Guide. Earlier in her career, Mary Beth was a Capitol Hill reporter for United Press International. She is a frequent guest on numerous radio and television programs and hosts her own podcast, The Retirement Repair Shop.