social security benefits (55, federal, hubby, best)

[texasfirewheel]

Thank you, lenora, for an insightful analysis of the situation. I'm more an off-the-cuff, tongue-in-cheek person and appreciate someone else's approach. I'm betting that "the 1960's" is synonymous with the term of office of Lyndon Johnson, the President whose heart was bigger than America's wallet.

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by kelly237

TEMPTING ...LOL

seriously..I have never heard that before.

That is correct so you are better off than you expected to be.

[brightdoglover]

LBJ was fine with Great Society programs. It was the "guns and butter" disaster in Vietnam that sank him and the budget.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by kelly237

I think the purpose is to protect the women who stayed home to raise a
family so the husband could work.

Problem is though in this day and age, divorce and re-marriage happens all too frequently.

The SS program wasn't intitally put in place for this and other payments that exist to non-direct workers (those that have not contributed to the system).

Not that this is bad..but it was not the original intent when the laws were put in place and contributions were never adjusted to account for those that receive but never put into the system.

[susancruzs]

Is that really true considering back when SS was put in place women working outside the home was a rare thing? They wouldn't have been contributing but they would need those funds if something happened to their spouse.

[nicet4]

My social security is estimated to be somewhere around $1,400, $1,900 and $2,300 depending if I retire at 62, 66 or 70.

I plan to work until 70 because I want the money and the work I do isn't hard. Fact be I want the extra money.... $1,000 a month means something on fixed income.

My wife will start to get a small state retirement check starting at age 60 which is a few months away. Won't be all that much but it will be a car payment so we won't turn it down. Doesn't make a difference when she starts to collect the amount stays the same.

Let's assume it's $350.00 which is the estimate right now.

Two years after she starts to receive the state retirement we want to file for her social security which I think in her name is small, about $700.

What happens to her social security when I retire at 70? Half of mine will be $1,200 or thereabouts but will she be stuck at $700 since she started collecting at age 62?

[Kappy]

Originally Posted by texasfirewheel

So, theoretically, 2 (or more) ex-wives who never paid into SS could draw the same SS amount for many years? Does that seem right???????????? If I were one of the ex-wives, I might think so -- but, as someone who's paid into SS for 35 years, I'm a bit miffed at that idea.

It also works the other way. How many people pay into social security & never get benefits. If husband & wife both work & one dies only 1 collects social security. What happens to the persons SS that died? They paid in all there lives but nobody collects on it.

[marylee54]

Originally Posted by lenora

An ex-spouse who was married to the worker for greater than ten years will receive the deceased worker's FULL benefits when the ex-spouse retires. See, If You're the Worker's Surviving Divorced Spouse

I once had an elderly client who lost her subsidized housing because her ex-husband suddenly died and she was eligible to receive his full retirement benefits. Wouldn't be a big deal to many of us, but she didn't want to leave her friends, etc. She was not allowed to waive the increased benefit because taxpayers would be unnecessarily subsidizing her home. It was really sad.

She either gets 1/2 hers or 100% her husband's, whichever is greater. If the spouse dies, she get only the biggest benefit, that is , she doesn't get 1/2 his and continue to receive hers aw well.

When my father died my mother got his full benefit but lost hers.

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by marylee54

She either gets 1/2 hers or 100% her husband's, whichever is greater. If the spouse dies, she get only the biggest benefit, that is , she doesn't get 1/2 his and continue to receive hers aw well.

When my father died my mother got his full benefit but lost hers.

It's the other way around - 1/2 of the spouse or 100% of your own while the spouse lives. Either - or, never both. 100% of the spouse's at death if it is greater than her own.

[TTTenor]

Actually, a wife or widow gets her own benefit first, then if the spouse's or widow's benefit exceeds hers, she gets the difference as a wife's benefit or widow's benefit. She does not lose her own benefit.

It usually comes down to the same thing, but it can make a difference if the benefit amounts are reduced for entitlement before full retirement age because the amount of the reduction is different for the different benefits.