Travel/Real Estate Directory
Ask the Experts In the Know ;
Q Can I collect on my ex-wife’s Social Security?
We were married for nine
years. She is 58 and I am 61.
She always made more money
than I did.
A You do not qualify for benefits based on your
ex-wife’s work record because
you were married for less than
10 years. Social Security rules
require that marriages must last
for 10 years or longer in order
to collect benefits based on a
divorced spouse’s work history.
Q I retired and took early Social Security benefits
at age 62. Now that I’ve reached my full retirement age, 66, will I
begin to receive my full benefit amount?
ANo, you will not. When you took your Social Security benefit at age 62, your monthly payments were permanently reduced for the
remaining years that you receive them. To learn more about early retire-
ment benefits, go to the Social Security Administration online at www
. socialsecurity.gov/retire2/agereduction.htm or call 1-800-772-1213.
QMy company went bankrupt this year and my pension plan was terminated. I was told I’ll be getting my pension payout
from the government. What’s the most I can collect?
ASingle retirees age 65 whose pension plans terminated in 2009 could collect $54,000 per year—the maximum benefit paid out
by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. That’s up from $51,750 in 2008.
The maximum benefit is lower for younger retirees—$18,900 annually
for a 50-year-old. Those limits are set by law. —Carole Fleck
Experts: Social Security Administration on spousal benefits and early benefits; Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corp. on pensions. Send your questions to: Ask the Experts, AARP Bulletin, 601 E St. N.W., Washington, DC
20049, or e-mail askourexperts@aarp.org. Due to the volume of questions, we cannot answer all of them.
Check out bulletin.aarp.org for previously asked questions and answers.
; Puzzle Answers
(from page 14)
; In the Stars
1. DIPLOMA
2. ECLIPSE
3. EXAMPLE
4. PAPRIKA
5. POLLARD
6. EPISODE
Test yourself. Go to games.aarp.org
or happyneuron.com. Play an interactive
Sudoku at bulletin.aarp.org.
69357 1 482
8259647 1 3
7 1 4382695
43275896 1
1 57496328
9682 1 3574
589 1 3 7246
2 76845 1 39
34 1 629857
MARK ZINGARELLI
