spousal benefits
Social Security comes with its own rules and stipulations
Retirement planning involves coordinating your retirement savings vehicles, such as pensions, annuities, 401(k), IRAs, Thrift Savings Plans, and Social Security. Most individuals who have paid FICA taxes on their wages may qualify for Social Security benefits based on their own…
Social Security and Your Retirement Financial Plan–Assembling the Pieces
If you are beginning to take a look ay how your retirement years will be financed, congratulations! Many folks, unfortunately, do not take a long-term view on this subject and often find themselves arriving at key decision points unprepared to…
An Update on Spousal Benefits and Some Details You May Not Know
Social Security has myriad rules and regulations, and many times not knowing some of the key points can cause certain benefit opportunities to be overlooked. This is true in the case of spousal benefits, and particularly in the area of…
Complications That Married Couples Face When Claiming Benefits
Anyone who’s looked into the process for claiming Social Security benefits knows that it can be deceptively complex. Many uninitiated approach the process with the simplistic view that when you turn 62, you just go and sign up. They quickly…
Testing Your Readiness to Claim Social Security Benefits
Anyone who has taken a look at Social Security or is trying to determine whether they’re ready to file knows full well that it’s kind of a tricky decision point. Unless you’re age 70, at which point continued deferral would…
Ask Rusty – About “Survivor” Benefits vs. “Spousal” Benefits
Dear Rusty: I will be 70 in August and will file my application for benefits in May. I know I’ll get my maximum possible amount at age 70, but I need you to clarify things I have read. Per an…
Social Security: If this is your year to claim, read this!
There are some very basic–and very important–fundamentals anyone on the cusp of claiming their Social Security benefits should know. For example, where you stand chronologically compared to your full retirement age is a key to what your monthly benefit payment…
How an Ex-Spouse’s Work Record can Influence One’s Benefit Amount
The Social Security rules on spousal benefits in a divorce situation can seem a bit complex, but the basic premise is that divorced spouses can receive a benefit based on their ex-spouses’ work record. And if the ex-spouses’ work record…
Qualifying for Spousal Benefits in a Divorce Situation
The rules surrounding the availability of Social Security benefits for divorced spouses can seem a bit daunting at first look. In a nj.com article by Karin Price Mueller, the set of parameters applied to benefit eligibility for a divorced spouse–in…
Social Security goes beyond simple payouts to workers
Almost 70 million people, or more than 1 in every 6 U.S. residents, collected Social Security benefits in 2022. Social Security goes beyond paying benefits to workers; it pays benefits to surviving spouses, divorced spouses, and others. However, Social Security…