When should you take Social Security?

• Life expectancy – For all of us, it's one of life's great mysteries: How long will we live? Of course, we can't see into the future, so the question can't be answered with total confidence. But to make an informed decision on when to take Social Security, you don't need to know your exact lifespan — you just need to make a reasonably good estimate. So, for example, if you're approaching 62, you're enjoying excellent health and you have a family history of longevity, you might conclude it's worth waiting a few years to collect Social Security, so you can receive the bigger payments. Conversely, if your health is questionable and your family has not been fortunate in terms of longevity, you might want to start taking your benefits earlier.
• Employment – You can certainly continue working and still receive Social Security benefits. However, if you're under your full retirement age for the entire year, Social Security will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn above the annual limit of $22,320. In the year you reach your full retirement age, Social Security will deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above $59,520. So, you may want to keep these reductions in mind when deciding when to begin accepting benefits. Once you reach your full retirement age, you can earn any amount without losing benefits. (Also, at your full retirement age, Social Security will recalculate your benefit amount to credit you for the months you received reduced benefits because of your excess earnings.)
• Spouse – Spouses can receive two types of Social Security benefits: spousal and survivor. With a spousal benefit, your spouse can receive up to 50 percent of your full retirement benefits, regardless of when you start taking them. (Your spouse's benefit can be reduced by the amount of their own retirement benefit and whether they took Social Security before their full retirement age.) But with a survivor benefit, your decision about when to take Social Security can make a big difference. A surviving spouse can receive the larger of their own benefit or 100 percent of a deceased spouse's benefit, so if you take benefits early and receive a permanent reduction, your spouse's survivor benefit may also be reduced for their lifetime.

North Adams Planners OK New Event Space for Tourists Resort

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Tourists' owners say they've been in need of a gathering space for years, based on the number of requests they get. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tourists Welcome resort was approved on Monday for construction of a building to serve gatherings and the Airport Rooms.

 

"This is our first opportunity to like fix the biggest thing we screwed up in building Tourists, which was not making a big room," said representative Eric Kerns. "The first year we opened, we got 1,200 event requests the first year, and we've continued to have almost 1,000 event requests every year."

 

The 140-seat event building will be constructed adjacent to the Airport Rooms on the east end of the State Road property, which operates at Blackinton Operating LLC. The 91-foot-long structure will include a kitchen to serve both the event space and the Airport Room, which will be connected via an enclosed corridor. Overflow parking will be at the Blackinton Mill, also owned by the partnership, with shuttle service for events. 

 

The new building will be set on piers to minimize excavation and will include a deck that will extend behind the Airport Rooms. The building also will utilize an all-electric mechanical system with high-efficiency heat pumps and energy recovery ventilation.

 

Kerns noted the resort has been erecting tents on that space for events — this will just make the use of the space permanent. He described the trailer being used as a "kitchen" for the Airport Rooms "a very clever two-year solution that has lasted seven years."

 

"It's just been a a real struggle to find a building that we can build that makes the math make sense given current, you know, construction costs we have come across," he said. "We've come upon a design that works for us, and it's really a continuation of the business that we've been doing. This site is where you've probably seen us put up a tent before, so we already have events of this size on the site."

 

Tourists was built as a minimalist resort, with the rooms facing the Hoosac River; the new structure will continue that aesthetic with a blank wall facing the road and large windows looking out on the river.