When retirement planning with a spouse, you may be banking on the fact that both of you will collect your Social Security payments, thus increasing the amount of benefits you’ll collectively get. What many people fail to factor in, however, is the tragic loss of a spouse, and how this would affect your Social Security benefits.
While most retirement experts tell you to wait as long as possible to collect your Social Security benefits in order to maximize them, a spouse’s passing can impact your benefits in unexpected ways — which Lina Lambert, a retired realtor from California, found out the hard way. Here’s her story, along with what she learned to hopefully help you avoid the same mistakes and make the most of your benefits.
