Hi I am wondering if there is a disadvantage to my husband collecting a SS restricted spousal benefit and waiting to collect his at age 70. We both will be full retirement age, with birth year 1953 for him and 1954 for myself. (I was the low earner and will switch to my spousal benefit when he files.) If I was to die before he collects his at age 70 could he switch from restricted spousal to receive a widower benefit on me while waiting to collect his?
Thank you for you input. I read and enjoyed both of your books. VW

Hi VW,

i AM 66 YEARS OLD & APPLIED FOR MY SS BENEFITS (100%) THIS MONTH. MY MONTHLY BENEFIT IS $1650. MY WIFE IS 65 AND NOT WORKING BUT HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH CREDITS. I AM STILL WORKING AND IF POSSIBLE WILL WORK UP TO 70. WE WANT TO APPLY FOR MY WIFE WHEN SHE WILL BE 66 & 2 MONTHS. HER BENEFIT WILL BE LESS THAN 50% OF MY BENEFIT CAN YOU HELP US WHAT WE SHOULD DO TO MAXIMISE OUR BENEFITS?..

Hi,

Good morning,
How can we determine that we (my wife and I) are maximizing our social security benefits?
Situation:
My wife started receiving SS at age 62 [2015] with a date of birth of 1953, military pension [2001], and disability [2001]. In terms, I started start receiving SS at age 62 [2018] as well with a date of birth of 1956 and military pension [1998].

Sincerely,
Lonnie

Hi Lonnie,

I am turning 70 in June 2020 and will be applying for SS to begin when I turn 70. My spouse is 66 1/2 years and she has been getting SS for last 3 years. Can I suspend her SS benefit and claim 1/2 of mine since i am highest earner of the two. Or what is the best way to maximize SS benefit for both of us?
Thanks,

Hi,

Hopefully this won't be too complicated. Here is my situation. I have not signed up for SSI yet. I lost my job last June 30th. I just turned 65 last December. I still haven’t been able to get employment at this point and it’s not looking good. I have no other significant income. I just went online to check my monthly amount that I would receive at my full retirement age of 66 and it was $2879 a month. First question, will this amount decrease the longer I wait to take SSI, since I only worked a half a year in 2019 and possibly not at all in 2020?

Hi,
I plan to start collecting social security this December at age 70 when my benefit will be $2730. My wife has applied to start collecting next month (February) at age 66 with a benefit of $1050. Will her benefit increase to half of mine when I start collecting at 70? Is there an advantage if she delays starting to collect and how can she optimize her benefits? We both have long life expectancy.
Thanks!

Hi,

I have purchased your book and software but I am still not confident on the following on whether it is possible and/or beneficial for us to do. I will be 67 at the end of this month and my wife will be 62 at end of july. my plan is to not file on my social security until age 70. we are both working and our plan is for us both to retire sometime in 2021. your software shows that my annual amount at age 70 is estimated at $42,410 and my wife filing on my social security at her age 66 1/2 would be $14,359.

I will be 65 in September when should I file for my social security

Hi,

Your best filing strategy depends on numerous different factors & variables. You should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully explore and analyze your options so that you can choose the best possible strategy to maximize your benefits.

Best, Jerry

Larry, I am 67 and my wife is 58. I am retired and started taking Social Security at my FRA of 66. Based upon my work record, I get near the maximum payout. My wife is planning to work until Age 62. Based upon her work record, she will be eligible for a near maximum payout as well. My thought is that she should start collecting right away at age 62, acknowledging the reduced benefit with this thought: If I pass anywhere near my "actuarial life" ( somewhere around 84), she would then get 100% of my SS income - in the meantime, we collect 100% of mine and 65-70% of her maximum.

My wife has already retired from her job with the school system, and is drawing her pension. She turns 62 on her next birthday. She does not intend to ever return to the work force. Should she go ahead and start drawing her benefits now or wait? We can get a long without her benefit until I reach full retirement age in several years, but the additional income would be nice. Cheers, Tim

Hi Tim,