Today on Your Money, Your Wealth podcast number 359, Joe and Big Al are going to help you figure out how to get the biggest social security payment possible, whether you're married, divorced, or entitled to survivor benefits.

Can you still file and suspend? What's a restricted application? What the heck does deemed mean?

The first YMIW podcast of 2022 is a compilation of answers to all of your

most recent spousal social security questions. Go to Your Money, Your Wealth.com, and click on

Ask Joe and Al on air to send in your money questions as an email or a voice message. And don't

forget to tell us where you're from, when and where you listen, and what

you're drinking. I'm producer Andy Last, and here are the hosts of Your Money, Your Wealth,

Joe Anderson, CFP, and Big Al Clopine CPA. So now it's Mary's turn. Mary, and my question is,

if you're retired, and I've been collecting benefits since I was 62,

and that's quite a few years ago, but now I'm looking to increase my income.

Can I switch to my former spouse's Social Security benefits?

And we were married 10 years. If you can answer that question,

thank you. Interesting. Okay, so Mary 62. Well, she's been collecting benefits since 62.

And that was quite a few years ago. Okay. She says. And so now she's like, hey, I want a little bit

larger benefit. Yeah. Yeah. And can. And so now she's like, hey, I want a little bit larger benefit.

Yeah. Yeah. And can I switch to my former spouse's social security benefits? Because she's been

married 10 years or more. Okay. Which is important. I mean, if it's 10 years or more,

the answers yes. If it's less than 10 years, answers now. What do you think, Hal?

Yeah, you can.

But the question is, is the former spouse living or not?

And are they Social Security age?

So there's a few questions that you'd have to answer to figure out what the benefit could be and whether it makes sense.

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