Q: I am 67 and my wife is 54. I started collecting Social Security at 62. If I died today would she continue to receive my $1,400 Social Security benefit? If not, what age could she? — Patrick ...

People who file at this earliest-possible age are seeing much smaller payments, but there's more to the story.

When a spouse dies, many widows assume that Social Security will automatically pay them the highest benefit available. That assumption is understandable, but it isn't always true. In reality, eligible ...

About a month ago, I wrote a column in which I explained how “full retirement age” (the age at which a person can claim 100 percent of his or her Social Security retirement benefits) is going up. To ...

A: Don’t bother. As I explained at the beginning of this column, retroactive benefits can only be paid if you file after your ...

There are some instances where you can lose your Social Security benefits (or have them reduced). We cover those in this ...

Planning for retirement involves more than simply saving money; it also means understanding how Social Security ...

Claiming benefits at age 67 may be too early for some and too late for others.