I am soon to be divorced after 36 years please advise what divorce spousal requirements are? I've read on SSA.gov that when I retire they use my retirement foremost in first but I can draw upon ex spouse to add to mine is this correct? Also when getting divorced do I have to tell the future ex in a divorce decree what year I plan on retiring and how much I am going to take from his Social security? Thanks, Cynthia

Cynthia, divorced spousal benefits are like spousal benefits but become available after a divorce. Like spousal benefits, they are equal to 50% of the (ex) spouse's retirement benefit at full retirement age (FRA). If you were born before January 1 1954, you can file for just your divorced spousal benefit at your FRA while delaying your retirement benefit till 70. If you were born after that, you won't be able to restrict your application to just your divorced spousal benefit even at FRA. Our software can determine how to maximize your benefits and also let you enter alternative what-if scenarios to see how they compare to the maximized strategy and to each other. Thanks, John