I was born 1952, married over 10 years, divorced, never remarried, retired. 2 options given by SS field office agent: 1. Apply for my age 66 benefits ($1500/mo) and if ex expires before me, I can apply for his death benefit ($2400/mo). 2. Apply for 1/2 his benefits ($1200/mo) and wait until my age 70 benefit ($2000) to apply for my benefits. Additional funds, if needed, w/b pulled from my investments. My financial advisor states #2 option w/b best option for me. Do you agree? If not, why? Also, if option 2 is selected and my ex husband expires after I apply, can I again apply for his full benefit or am I locked in to 1/2 his benefit for 4 year/my full benefit age 70. Thank you.

Hi,

You don't mention your ex's age, but unless you have some reason to believe that he will die within the next 7 years or so, option 2 looks to be pretty clearly the best to me. And, yes, as long as your ex dies at or after you reach age 66 you could get his full benefit rate if it's higher than yours, regardless of which option you choose to go with initially.

Before making your final decision, you may want to strongly consider using our maximization software to fully compare all of your options in order to make sure that choose the best possible filing strategy.

Best, Jerry