Losing a spouse is an emotional and challenging experience, and it often brings financial concerns to the forefront. Social Security benefits can provide critical support to widows, helping them ...

Q: I understand paying benefits to widows. But I don’t understand paying benefits to divorcees. A woman who is divorced is not a widow. She is an ex-wife. So why does she have a claim to her ...

The same rules that apply to divorced and financially dependent wives and widows also apply to divorced and financially dependent husbands and widowers.(Prostock-Studio / Getty Images) Over the 27 ...

Q: I wrote to you a while back inquiring about widow’s benefits. Do these benefits start at age 60 or 62? I’ve seen both ages at different places. — Patricia A: Trying to keep straight the different ...

Millions of seniors are already entitled to retirement benefits. If you're married or divorced, though, you could also qualify for spousal or divorce benefits. If your spouse passes away, you might be ...

If you're currently divorced, you may be entitled to extra money in divorce benefits. There are strict requirements, but you could collect hundreds of dollars more per month. In some cases, divorced ...

Divorce is rarely a straightforward experience. There's bound to be a flurry of emotions. In addition, there are practical issues to work through, like how marital belongings will be divided and where ...

Q: My husband of 49 years died a few months ago. I filed for widow's benefits and started receiving them with no problem. But I got a letter telling me that I was not eligible for the $255 death ...

Over the 27 years I've been writing this column, I have probably written a hundred columns directed at divorced women. But after answering emails from men who had questions about benefits for ...