Social security benefits

Some people claim that taking Social Security early is the right move. Here's why that's absolutely the wrong move for your retirement.

Marital status affects your Social Security benefits. Learn about your benefits based on your marital status: single, married, divorced, and widowed.

Bankrate.com provides a FREE social security estimator and other benefits calculators to help consumers estimate how much to expect from Social Security benefits.

It pays to delay payments, if you can afford it.

Married couples can sometimes strategize the timing of their Social Security retirement benefits to get higher benefits for one or both spouses.

How Do Social Security Benefits Work During Retirement? - Social Security can be confusing and needs planning. Get the facts and information you need about Social Security during retirement.

Plus three key ways to maximize your spousal benefits

Today's column addresses questions about whether spousal benefits are always half of the other spouse's retirement benefit, divorced survivor benefits before a retirement benefit at 70 and how totalization agreements with other countries can affect retirement and spousal benefits.

Social Security survivor benefit options can be confusing. This guide includes descriptions of benefit scenarios prepared in an easy-to-understand way.

Deciding when to collect Social Security spousal benefits requires careful timing to get the most from it. Applying too early could significantly reduce the size of your benefit. In most cases, the spouse of the working person can get maximum spousal benefits equal to half (50 percent) of the other spouse's benefits. Several conditions apply ...