Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
A historic ruling by the Supreme Court declaring same-sex marriage constitutional means that gay couples across the country will be entitled to Social Security benefits reserved only for heterosexual married couples, according to this article on Kiplinger. There are 13 states that don't recognize same-sex marriage, making Social Security claims complicated, especially for gay couples who were married in the states that allow such marriages but are working in these 13 states. Kiplinger
Couples who are approaching retirement need to negotiate their dreams and goals concerning spending their golden years together, according to this article on USA Today. It's because their plans may differ and cause problems in retirement. "For lack of a better word, couples need to do some horse trading 'I'll give you this, if you give me that.' You really have to negotiate in good faith. Maturity and communication skills are very important," says Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington. USA Today
Forty-three percent of couples polled by Fidelity Investments have no idea how much their spouse makes, according to this article in The Wall Street Journal. Such a knowledge gap could result in issues in financial planning, says John Sweeney, Fidelity's executive vice president of retirement and investment strategies. "If you can't articulate what you make, the probability that you are saving enough is very low." The Wall Street Journal
Clients need to know that Social Security's benefit calculator provides initial estimates, according to this article on Forbes. The estimated figure can be wrong because of the ever-changing factors involved and the complicated rules that apply. Clients can determine the final value of their monthly benefit based on their age, earnings history, spousal status and the kind of benefit they intend to claim. Forbes
Clients are advised to max out their employment history to boost the value of their Social Security retirement benefits, according to this article on The Motley Fool. They may also delay their retirement benefits possibly until 70 to raise the value of the benefits. Another strategy to make the most of their Social Security benefits is to take advantage of spousal and survivor benefits on their spouse's record. The Motley Fool
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