Morning
Enjoy reading your book & have recommended it to many.
However have not seen my question covered. My husband passed in 1995 & have been receiving Survivors Benefits. Am presently 60, when I applied, was informed by SS that benefit would automatically switch to my SS benefit when it became higher, which would be @ FRA. However would prefer to allow my benefit to grow & collect my benefit @ age 70. Is this a possibility? Thank you for the much appreciated advice. Brooklyn

Hi Brooklyn,

Yes, you can and in all probability should wait until age 70 to start drawing on your own record. If you filed for widow's benefits only, your benefits will not automatically switch to your own record at any point in time. You will need to file a separate application in order to become entitled to retirement benefits on your own record. And, if your own retirement benefit rate will be higher than your widow's rate, you would likely want to wait until age 70 to file on your own record.

You may want to consider running the maximization software available on this website in order to be sure that you choose the best filing strategy.

Best, Jerry