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Question and background: When does it make most sense for me to start collecting social security? I will be 62 in October 2014. I stopped working 1/1/2014 and wondered if I should apply for SS retirement benefits at 62 or wait until 66. If I receive benefits at 62 I will receive $1,004 per month. If I wait until I am 66 I would receive $1,331 per month. My net worth including house, car, investments etc. is $1,400,000. Thank you.

Question and background: I'm recently retired and thinking about cashing in a portion of my retirement savings to pay off credit card debt. Is this a good idea? I am 63 and was laid off last year. I decided to take early retirement instead of finding another job. I have accrued approx. $304,000 for retirement made up of 401ks, a block of stock from previous employer, and a tiny pension. The only thing I owe is on a credit card - $19,000. In a few days I will receive $1,700 per month, before taxes, of SS. FYI -- support system is a husband who is retired getting $2,500 a month of various income and about $16,000 credit debt of his own. Other than living expenses, we owe nothing else. Q: My block of stock is worth about the same amount as my credit card debt of $19,000. Would it be advisable to sell the stock to pay off my credit card debt? My pension amount is also about the same amount.

Question and background: I'm just about to turn 65 and have not worked for just over two years. I have about $400K in an IRA in addition to a couple of pensions and social security. How much can I draw down on the IRA to last until I am 90? I am drawing from two different pensions of $800 and $2000 per month. I am about to start taking Social Security of about $2300 gross. My wife is still working and will be for another year. She earns $12-20K per year. Is 90 a bit optimistic? Yes, but family history says plan on it.

Question and background: I am 65 and my wife is 55. There has been much discussion about boosting Social Security by my signing up at 66, then suspend and allow my wife to collect benefits. She would not be 62 at that time. I don't think this would work. Is there another solution?

As we continue a series of posts on little known aspects of social security, I had planned to write about the implications of divorce on spousal benefits. But Mary Beth Franklin, contributing editor to InvestmentNews, covered the topic well in an article today and included a few quotes from me: Duration of Marriage and Divorce Affect Social Security Benefits