My husband passed away and I would like to draw my spousal benefit but I was told I have to wait until I turn 60. Is that correct? Keep in mind, I am 11 years younger than my deceased husband (I am age 67) and I have not gotten remarried. Also, is there any insurance advantage or benefit for widows?

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. You say that you've been told you must wait until age 60 to qualify for widow's benefits, but then you say you are age 67. If you actually are age 67, then you've already reached full retirement age (FRA) for widow's benefits and you could collect them now if you meet the other requirements (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0401.html). However, if you're under age 60, the only way that you could currently qualify for widow's benefits is if you're at least age 50 AND if you are disabled.

Assuming you're under FRA and if you are potentially eligible for your own Social Security retirement benefits, then your best filing strategy would depend on your potential retirement and widow's benefit rates. Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit when you are first eligible and then switch to the higher benefit when it reaches its highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help sort all of this out for you so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Regarding your question about insurance benefits, I can't give you an answer to that because my expertise is limited to Social Security benefits.

Best, Jerry