Options and advice, appreciated, I'm on dial-up. I'm divorced 15 yr after 21 married. Haven't filed yet. I will be 67 in 7/17 & ex-wife will be 60 in 4/17. Her last known income was 2-3 X my highest. I have an appointment 1st week, 4/17 w/SSA and need knowledge. Please help.

Hi,

It sounds like you could eventually be entitled to a divorced spousal benefit, but your wife must be at least age 62 or drawing her benefits in order for you to be eligible. In the meantime, if your own retirement benefit rate would still be lower than your divorced spousal rate even if you waited until age 70 to file on your own record, it would likely be to your advantage to start your own benefits as soon as possible. Be aware, however, that I don't have all of the facts of your case, so I can't be sure of what your best filing strategy may be. You may want to consider running the maximization software available on this website in order to explore your filing options.

Best, Jerry