A money decision you can only make once

The final entry in our series on Money Moments that Matter is about a choice you only make one time. Choosing when to claim Social Security benefits is a once in a lifetime decision. And it can be a complicated decision with lots of moving parts.

You probably know the basics; you pay into Social Security a little bit from every paycheck and then later, when you retire, you start to get checks every month to help you support yourself. When those checks start, and how much they’re for, depends on a number of factors. Here’s how the most important one works.