I would like to ask a question a legal issue pertaining to my divorce settlement and my Social Security and pension rights. I am getting closer to my retirement age and would like to make sure if my divorce settlement does not limit my rights to social security. At the time of signing the decree, I did not myself had an attorney and did not fully understand the implications of this decree. I hope you can help me. Thank you.

Hi,

I'm not a lawyer, so all I can tell you that you can't give up your rights to Social Security benefits via a divorce settlement. If you meet the requirements for Social Security benefits either now or in the future, you can claim those benefits regardless of what your divorce settlement may say.

Best, Jerry