For those who are tempted to take out their Social Security benefits too soon, experts have a little piece of advice: hands off.

Taking benefits too soon is one of the biggest mistakes people can make when it comes to Social Security, which can happen when people are worried about dying before they collect, according to a USA Today report.

But taking the money too soon can reduce the widow(er) benefits they can provide to both their current and former spouses, if applicable. After all, if you die early, you won’t need that money.

Social Security is the largest retirement asset for Americans, but it is also a very complex and difficult to understand system that if used wrong, can cost someone a lot of money.

The report quoted Laurence Kotlikoff, author of “Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security,” who said that “with a little effort, you can dramatically increase what you get.”

He said that it is “critical” to get Social Security completely right, and taking benefits right away without strategy can cost someone a lot of money,a nd people often don’t understand the various benefits that are available and when the best time is to take advantage of them.

The problem is that many people aren’t aware they have options, Kotlikoff said, and there are different strategies for different benefits. He faulted the Social Security Administration for not doing enough to educate people about the benefits.

For one thing, full retirement age is considered to be 66 for those who were born between 1943 and 1954, and if you take benefits before that age, an early retirement reduction can drain a significant chunk of those benefits — by as much as 25 percent in some cases.

People think the risk is not taking money out before death, but the real risk is living until 100 on low benefits because of impatience, Kotlikoff said.