For many years, 65 was the age at which you were able to retire and start taking full Social Security benefits, but a law passed in 1983 changed that for some beneficiaries. The full retirement age (FRA) for Social Security benefits rose this year under amendments to the program designed to stretch its funding.

As part of its review of a recent proposal, the Social Security actuaries provided another contribution to the extensive body of evidence showing that life expectancy is positively related to income and that the gap between those at the top and the bottom of the income distribution has increased over time.