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That happened recently to someone that I know in her 80s. She and her husband were frugal but doing OK on their two small SS checks but when her husband died she realized that there was no way that she could pay the bills on just one small SS check. Sadly, her adult children are barely living hand to mouth with their jobs. Her adult children are checking into low-income housing and other benefits for her.
Doesn't she get survivor benefits from SS, and also an increase from SS due to her husband's death if his check was larger?
Last edited by matisse12; 02-27-2018 at 03:12 PM..
New threads are always welcome, so I'll repeat our story too.
Living on less than $1,500 but had to leave the U.S. to do it. Paid-for beach condo, HOA dues are $160. No cars. Good public transportation. Property taxes are $45 annually.
Health insurance is $80 per month per couple. No deductibles/ no co-pays.
Yes, those longevity tables are interesting. I was waiting for a 92-y/o to die (no $$ involved) and was distressed to learn she still had a 50% chance of living on....and on....and on....
She finally kicked it a couple years ago.
My brother in law and his wife did this as well and they did move to Equador as well. While I admire it I'm not so sure I could do it. I'd miss home and won't be happy having to fly to come back. I'd also wonder if living in paradise wouldn't get old, as much as I like summer and the beach I also like the change of seasons. Living there would be like having Christmas every weekend in a way, it would lose it's luster.
Doesn't she get survivor benefits from SS or an increase from SS due to her husband's death?
not unless his check was bigger. you get the bigger of either yours or his , and depending on what age you file for survivor that benefit can be reduced
not unless his check was bigger. you get the bigger of either yours or his , and depending on what age you file for survivor that benefit can be reduced
yes, that's good, and in the case of a woman, the deceased husband's SS check is often larger, so the woman gets an increase.
what do you mean "depending on what age you file for survivor that benefit can be reduced"?
Aren't you saying the remaining spouse gets a survivor benefit one way or another but the amount varies?
yes , survivor benefits are reduced if a woman is less than fra .
at 60 she can file and gets the husbands fra amount x .71 . at 62 she gets her husbands fra x.81
at fra she would get what he got . many times she can take survivor at 60 and let her own grow to 70 and then switch if that is higher
It's a GREAT deal....as far as money received from SS...an increase in SS due to survivor benefits and also an increase in SS if husband's check was larger.
Last edited by matisse12; 02-27-2018 at 03:32 PM..
Well losing a spouse, losing one ss check and having to file single likely with rmd's is never going to be a great deal. This is where the higher earner filing at 70 can be very benficial
My brother in law and his wife did this as well and they did move to Equador as well. While I admire it I'm not so sure I could do it. I'd miss home and won't be happy having to fly to come back. I'd also wonder if living in paradise wouldn't get old, as much as I like summer and the beach I also like the change of seasons. Living there would be like having Christmas every weekend in a way, it would lose it's luster.
We lived in Mexico fulltime 2008-2012, moving back to US to care for my FIL who died in late 2015. After settling his estate we immediately moved back to Mexico.
Yes, every day is Another Day In Paradise. No, it never loses its luster.
That happened recently to someone that I know in her 80s. She and her husband were frugal but doing OK on their two small SS checks but when her husband died she realized that there was no way that she could pay the bills on just one small SS check. Sadly, her adult children are barely living hand to mouth with their jobs. Her adult children are checking into low-income housing and other benefits for her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BushyEyeBrows
does she own her house?
She owns a single wide mobile home but is having difficulty paying the lot rental and her other bills on just one SS check.
Quote:
Originally Posted by matisse12
Doesn't she get survivor benefits from SS, and also an increase from SS due to her husband's death if his check was larger?
While I do not know the exact details I suspect it was something like his SS was $1,200 a month and her SS was $800 a month for a total of $2,000 (or possibly less) and they just "made ends meet". Even if she now gets her husband's SS $1,200 a month it is a lot less than before. But, again I don't know all the details except that she is struggling financially now that he is gone.
I'm friends with her adult child and she said that one of the problems was that they both took SS at age 62 (or so). Her dad had health problems that kept him from working any longer in a physical/manual labor type job and her mom got laid off from her job and couldn't find a new job. They never anticipated that 20 some years later taking SS early would cause such huge problems.
Last edited by germaine2626; 02-27-2018 at 05:12 PM..
Doesn't she receive survivor benefits from SS in addition to the deceased husband's SS of $1200?
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