My husband passed in January of this year and I have been told by family that I can collect my current SS retirement funds ALONG WITH his retirement funds he was receiving. Is this correct information? What do I need to do to file for the both benefits if so?
Thank you, Lucky O

Hi Lucky O. I'm sorry for your loss. No, it's not true that you can collect both your own benefits and your husband's benefits at the same time. If you apply for both survivor benefits and your own Social Security retirement benefits, you can only be paid up to the higher of the 2 benefit rates. You may, though, be able to file for one type of benefit initially and then switch to the other type of benefit at a later date when your rate would be higher.

Your best filing strategy depends on your current age and the comparative amounts of your and your husband's benefit rates. You may want to consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to analyze your options so that you can choose the best possible strategy for claiming your benefits.

Best, Jerry