I am reading your book right now and taking notes and trying to determine the best way to get what's ours.

I am 62 as of last Friday and my husband is 68.5. He has a job thru his 69 th b day in Sept then he will be laid off when Educational tallship ( Matthew Turner) he is building is finished. He will apply for unemployment and we will most likely move from the Bay Area.

I do not see an easy way to file and suspend and have him collect on spousal benefits and with our age difference it would not work for me.

My husband was 66 and passed away recently. My husband and I thought I would get that same amount he was receiving in Soc Sec if he should pass away before me. Of course I found out that's wrong. I am 58. My husband began receiving SS benefits at 62 because we needed the money to make ends meet. What would be the better time/age for me to apply for widow benefits? I haven't worked full time since 1997.
Thank you, Jackie

Hi Jackie,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Dear Larry,

I just finished reading your book. Thank you for talking in terms that regular people can understand. Our question is fairly straight forward. We want to confirm what we gleaned from reading your book.

I will be 62 in August 2017 and my husband will be 66 in October 2017. I was the higher wage earner. We are currently taking time off from our teaching jobs, so we are unemployed. My husband successfully waded through the myriad of rules for Medicare and all is taken care of there. Now we are looking at what to do for social security.

Hi, Larry,
I'm a big fan of your Get What's Yours! book, the revised edition of which I bought last year...but I didn't see the answer to my own situation below:

My wife, who will turn 66 (full retirement age) in Autumn 2020, has been receiving Soc. Sec. disability payments for some time. I’ll turn 66 (full retirement age) in Spring 2019. We’re aware that if her Soc. Sec. disability payments continue until she’s 66, the monthly amount would become her age 66 ‘full retirement’ benefit going forward.

My husband was born Jan 1, 1949. I was born June 7, 1952. He has been collecting SS since age 62 due to his asthma. His paltry $600 got reduced to half due to WEP. This happened last year. We also had to pay back about $15,000. (WEP occured because he worked for a Japanese company for 1 year.) I would love to start collecting Social Sec benefits simply because we just need the extra money but I'm also concerned what Trump Administration could with do with the program and I'm thinking get in now while I still can. I would continue working because I can't live on SS alone.

I am 63 and currently am being advised to wait until I am 66 to retire. If I retire now my benefit would be around 770. If I wait until 66 I will receive 949. I am married and my husband's benefit is 1659.00,,I wouldn't receive any benefit from his social security as a widow..could I collect it now and just save it? Should I wait to collect?

Hi,

My wife at age 64 can claim her own social security benefit of $689/mo. I do not plan on filing until age 70 in five years and will have a monthly benefit of about $2000. When I file will she be able to claim her spousal benefit, raising her monthly benefit to $1000? ($689+$311 to bring her up to 50% of my benefit).

Hi,

I am writing for my wife. My wife was born on 4/15/52, we have been married for 21 years and I have been collecting SS benefits for 10 years. My wife was married to her first husband for 19 years and divorced in 1993 and has NOT applied for SS benefits. Is my wife eligible for SS restricted application?

Hi,

My wife will be 65 in May and has work some during the last 30+ years, her SS report her benefit at approx. $400/mo. I am 59, I am the high earning spouse. Can she apply for her benefits now and then when I retire at 66 or 67 reapply spousal benefits?

Hi,

Yes, but if she starts drawing her retirement benefits prior to full retirement age, she'll keep the reduction that she takes even if she later becomes eligible for additional spousal benefits.

If I collect a spousal benefit at my FRA and medicare is deducted from the spousal social security benefit will I still get the delayed retirement credit on my RIB?

Hi,

Yes, if you are eligible to file for spousal benefits only at FRA (i.e. born prior to January 2 1954), you can draw the spousal benefits and still receive delayed retirement credits on your own record until age 70 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html).

Best, Jerry