The full retirement age for Social Security – the age in which you get 100% of the program's benefits – has risen over recent years.

So let's say you decide to claim Social Security early and reduce a $2,000 monthly benefit to $1,600. That's the amount of money your spouse will get in the form of survivor benefits. If you wait until full retirement age to lock in $2,000 monthly checks, your spouse's survivor benefits will be that much higher.