Social Security (revisited)

[RetireBy90]

He was married to three wives for more than 10 years and none of them remarried (well)? If so, that’s uncommon.

That is for sure unexpected. Must have been such a great husband they couldn't find anyone to measure up to good ole dad.

 

[pb4uski]

.... So why not use SS now and save your other assets?

Because you may live long.

... But the whole point of claiming at 70 (i.e., annuitizing) is cheap longevity insurance. That is insuring against the chance that you are the 50% that lives past 82/85, especially if you live long past. Or, even more importantly and likely for marrieds, that one of you does.

 

[pb4uski]

My father died a year ago just short of his 95th birthday and his mother almost made it to 100. I'm planning to wait until 70. My wife, who worked but whose SS benefit is less than her spousal benefit will be, will start collecting at FRA next spring since there is no benefit to waiting longer.

+1 SAHM DW's benefit based on her own work record is less than half of my PIA... she'll start collecting at her FRA based on her own work record and then when I file at 70 her SS will get bumped up to half of my PIA.

 

[pb4uski]

Apparently this all happened a long time ago and the lady has died. Since none of this would have taken one penny from your current wife, maybe you could move on...spousal benefits protect everyone, worthy or not worthy..

+1 For God's sake, he needs to get over it... the way Perry framed it it sounds like he's think that it was money coming out of his pocket.

 

[pb4uski]

The surviving spouse receives a survivors benefit which is 100% of what the deceased was getting at the time of death. I think in actuality, the $ first come from the surviving spouse's own account, then enough taken from the deceased's account to make up the total survivor benefit every month. Which is a don't care to the end-user, as $ are $. Of course, there may be limitations on what the surviving spouse gets due to GPO, if the surviving spouse has a governmental pension of their own that they were receiving $ from.

Correct, except there are no "accounts" to be taken from... it is just the way that benefits are calculated based on contribution history. Technically, he surviving spouse gets a base benefit based on their own work record and when they filed... plus a surviving spouse supplement for the difference between what the deceased spouse was receiving and what the surviving spouse was receiving... so in total they get what the deceased spouse was receiving (or would have received at their date of death if they were delaying their benefit).

 

[cathy63]

One of the reasons I planned on waiting until age 70, was so that my EX could not file for 50% of mine until I filed...

A divorced spouse does not have to wait until you file in order to make her own claim on your record, so even if she had lived, that strategy would have had no effect on her.

 

[Chuckanut]

Apparently this all happened a long time ago and the lady has died. Since none of this would have taken one penny from your current wife, maybe you could move on...spousal benefits protect everyone, worthy or not worthy..

FWIW, I have been collecting on my ex-wife's SS account for the past few years as I let my own SS benefit increase until I am 70. I never bothered to tell her since it has no effect on her SS payments. She remarried long ago, so she could not collect on mine even if she had considered it (which I doubt she has).

From time to time when she does something I don't like (usually involving letting down our children or grandchildren ) I get upset and think I should 'rub it in'. But, instead, I realize it is a petty feeling, it won't make 2¢ worth of difference, and it certainly won't change her future decisions. Then I go outside and play with my grandchild and realize how good my life is. In fact, thanks to her reneging on a babysitting commitment she made, I will be playing silly games with a grandchild all of Thanksgiving week. Bring on the fun!!!

 

[ivinsfan]

FWIW, I have been collecting on my ex-wife's SS account for the past few years as I let my own SS benefit increase until I am 70. I never bothered to tell her since it has no effect on her SS payments. She remarried long ago, so she could not collect on mine even if she had considered it (which I doubt she has).

From time to time when she does something I don't like (usually involving letting down our children or grandchildren ) I get upset and think I should 'rub it in'. But, instead, I realize it is a petty feeling, it won't make 2¢ worth of difference, and it certainly won't change her future decisions. Then I go outside and play with my grandchild and realize how good my life is. In fact, thanks to her reneging on a babysitting commitment she made, I will be playing silly games with a grandchild all of Thanksgiving week. Bring on the fun!!!

Good for you, can you answer the question about collecting as a divorced spouse. Was your ex drawing SS when you claimed a spousal or were you able to file without her claiming her SS?

Enjoy those grandkids!!

 

[Exchme]

Maybe the OP can realize that from a government program standpoint, the government can't be in the middle of determining the cause of a divorce. The government does not want, say, a loyal homemaker to end up destitute by being married to a rat that treats them badly and dumps them, so the law is set up as "no-fault".

Here, perhaps the benefits were in some sense undeserved, but it was the American taxpayers as a whole that bore the burden, not the OP. Since she is now gone, maybe time to let the bitterness go and joy life.

 

[HenryD]

This thread is fascinating, and a bit triggering, lol.

Most of my peak SS-paying years were during my previous marriage so if my ex does better under spousal I can't begrudge her. And as has been pointed out, it's not healthy to focus on the trauma.

 

[ivinsfan]

Maybe the OP can realize that from a government program standpoint, the government can't be in the middle of determining the cause of a divorce. The government does not want, say, a loyal homemaker to end up destitute by being married to a rat that treats them badly and dumps them, so the law is set up as "no-fault".

Here, perhaps the benefits were in some sense undeserved, but it was the American taxpayers as a whole that bore the burden, not the OP. Since she is now gone, maybe time to let the bitterness go and joy life.

People are losing sight of the fact that one person only gets one benefit. It's not like anyone is double dipping and collecting two. The spousal benefit goes way back to the day when many, many woman were at home spouses and Moms. This was put in for the protection of that group. When protecting a group, perhaps some unintended results will occur. This doesn't mean that we don't protect them. A sour grapes poster doesn't determine national policy.

 

[Perryinva]

Wow, y’all need to get a life. Thanks for the insightfully obvious post. I am way past holding any remorse or grudge. She’s dead. But facts are facts. Time doesn’t change them. Do you tell blacks who are offended, that statues to Confederate Generals were put up a 150 years ago, so just get over it?

As I CLEARLY stated, this was a consideration on a cosmic not a legal level. I also said, for reasons not relevant to this thread, but you had to bring up points not relevant. I am fully aware it didn’t affect my SS amounts, but perhaps your reading comprehension is weak, where I also pointed out that she & her lawyer cost me many thousands that I did not have, by using delay tactics to ensure she was legally married for 10 years and one month. We should have been (and we were childless) divorced at 8 years. I got to go to work every day & support her in a hostile environment for 2 years while she stayed at home and watched soap operas and ate herself to an XXXL. So keep your holier than thou BS to yourself. You weren’t there. And fair is fair regardless of when it happened. There is no reasonable explanation for a childless woman divorced at 34 with a college education (and post college training paid for by me) to be entitled to a benefit that further burdens the SSA coffers based on my record after we were divorced because she didn’t feel like working. IMHO, of course. While married, I am fine with that. And I should also point out that the law used to be married for 20 years, not 10, which more clearly supports the divorced woman’s predicament.

 

[RunningBum]

As I CLEARLY stated, this was a consideration on a cosmic not a legal level. I also said, for reasons not relevant to this thread, but you had to bring up points not relevant. I am fully aware it didn’t affect my SS amounts, but perhaps your reading comprehension is weak,

Nothing wrong with my reading comprehension, your writing was CLEARLY the issue:

One of the reasons I planned on waiting until age 70, was so that my EX could not file for 50% of mine until I filed. ...
turns out she did me a solid and never filed for it so the entire amount reverted back to me, which I wasn’t expecting.

I'm done here.

 

[Chuckanut]

Good for you, can you answer the question about collecting as a divorced spouse. Was your ex drawing SS when you claimed a spousal or were you able to file without her claiming her SS?

Enjoy those grandkids!!

No, she was not collecting SS benefits. IIRC, I had to wait until I was Full Retirement Age to collect on her account.

Make sure you have your ex's SS number, marriage certificate and divorce decree ahead of time.

 

[Perryinva]

Nothing wrong with my reading comprehension, your writing was CLEARLY the issue:



I'm done here.

Now I do wonder, since I cannot see how you thought that post referred to you....

Jeez.

Also, I was incorrect in what I wrote about waiting to file until 70 to prevent an ex from filing for spousal. As long as I turn 62, and the ex is 62 or over, then they are entitled to the larger of their own or their own plus the difference of 50% of the amount I would be entitled to at my age when she filed. I remember now, since I hadn’t given it or her much thought in years, but it was the opposite; I was hesitant to delay filing to 70, because if I were to die first, both current and ex spouse are entitled to the same much larger amount. All moot now. End of rant.