My husband is 57 and just diagnosed with a terminal cancer. I am 5 years older (born '54). We are looking into him getting SSDI (he has a qualifying disease). He is trying to get me set up for when he passes. We have no idea what I should do or when regarding taking SS. I am not in any hurry to make a claim. Just want to maximize the SS benefit. I also worked 23 years so I have SS benefits.. but he made double what I made. S

Hi S,

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's illness.

From your description, it sounds like your best option may be to file for reduced retirement benefits now, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at your full retirement age (FRA). Obviously, that assumes that your husband will pass away before you reach FRA in 2020. If there is a possibility that that won't happen, other options may be more advantageous.

You may want to consider subscribing to the maximization software available on this website. That way, you can run various what-if scenarios in order to determine your likely best strategy based on your estimated potential benefit rates and circumstances.

My best wishes to you and your husband.

Best, Jerry