Social Security rules allow a qualifying former spouse to claim benefits based on the work history of a higher-earning ex.
"Your ex is worth twice as much dead than alive," said Mary Beth Franklin, a certified financial planner and Social Security expert.: In many cases, the monthly Social Security benefit you can claim based on a former spouse's work history essentially doubles Women in heterosexual couples tend to derive the most value from these Social Security rules, since they tend to live longer and retire with less wealth, financial planners said.
Claiming benefits based on an ex-spouse's earnings record doesn't impact or reduce that former spouse's benefits, Colley said. The ex is never even notified by the Social Security Administration about a claim, she added.