FRANKLIN & VOTAVA: MAXIMIZING SOCIAL SECURITY

MAXIMIZING SOCIAL SECURITY

Strategies for claiming Social Security can be tricky for anyone, but they are especially difficult for same sex couples. According to Social Security guru, Mary Beth Franklin anyone born on January 1, 1954 or earlier can take advantage of a strategy called filing for spousal benefits. If one spouse is collecting social security, the other can claim half of those benefits starting at age 66, let their own benefits keep growing by 8% a year and then switch to their own maximum benefits at 70. The same applies to divorced people as long as they were married for at least 10 years. Since same sex marriages were only legally recognized recently where does that leave them?

Watch the related WEALTHTRACK episode.