I felt that we had a happy marriage the majority of those years.
We only had the occasional disagreement, as most marriages do.
In fact, he didnt tell me until after the divorce was finalized his reasons for leaving me.
He is the father of our two children.
I am 10 years 8 months older than him and am now 60 years old.
He has remarried twice in the nine years since our divorce.
That would mean I will be in my 70s.
yo tell me exactly when I can start collecting my Social Security benefits based off his income.
And is it based off his income when he retires, or his income when we got divorced?
For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.
That means youd be eligible for spousal benefits when your ex is 62, not 67.
Of course, that doesnt do you much good.
Youd still be at least 72 by the time you could start spousal benefits.
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You cant take your own benefits and switch to your ex-husbands benefit later on.
Thats an option thats only available if you were born before Jan. 2, 1954.
But unfortunately, the rules leave the lower-earning spouse in a bind if theyre significantly older.
But you oughta focus on how to maximize your own retirement benefits.
Claiming your exs benefits simply isnt viable.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help…
Even though your ex-husband outearned you, dont assume that youd collect more if spousal benefits were a possibility.
Spouses who start at age 62 only receive 32.5%.
But you cant earn delayed retirement credits with spousal benefits.
Youd collect your maximum benefit at 67, your full retirement age.
Social Security bases benefits on 35 years worth of earnings.
If you work less than 35 years, your income for the non-working years is entered as zero.
The more years it’s possible for you to work, obviously, the bigger your benefit will be.
Did you know?
In the meantime, focus on saving as much as possible for retirement.
Since youre over 50, you’re free to contribute $7,000 to a Roth IRA in 2022.
Im sorry that youve been dealt this most difficult hand.
But focus on what you could control.
Theres still a lot you could do to secure the comfortable retirement you deserve.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].
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