Opinion

While I agree with your basic sentiment about Ms. Bondi’s statement, I slightly disagree with you conclusion.

Dear Rusty: I was referred to you to ask a question about Social Security benefits. I receive about $1,700 a month from Social Security while my husband receives only approximately $750 monthly. Is he entitled to file for half of my Social Security as a monthly benefit without touching my amount? Signed: Curious Wife Dear Curious Wife: For information, spousal benefits are one of the most misunderstood areas of Social Security. A spouse does not always get half of their partner’s Social Security benefit – how much the spouse gets is determined by their age when the spouse benefit is claimed, and it is always based upon both partner’s full retirement age (FRA) benefit, regardless of when they actually claimed Social Security. The partner with the lower SS benefit can only get half of the other spouse’s FRA amount if that partner takes the spouse benefit at (or after) their personal SS full retirement age (FRA). And each spouse’s FRA may be different depending on the year they were born (FRA today is somewhere between age 66 and 67, depending on the person’s year of birth). Here are two basic rules for a lower earning marital partner to get spouse benefits: The lower earning spouse’s FRA entitlement must be less than 50% of the higher earning spouse’s FRA entitlement. FRA amounts are used, even if SS benefits were claimed earlier than, or later than, full retirement age, and FRA amounts are frequently different than the monthly amounts actually being received. If one spouse’s FRA amount is less than 50% of the other spouse’s FRA amount, the difference between those two amounts can be added to the lower earning spouse’s SS retirement amount, to become their spousal benefit. That may, or may not, equal half of the higher earning spouse’s FRA amount. So, if you claimed your Social Security exactly at your own full retirement age, and your husband also claimed his Social Security exactly at his own full retirement age, then based on the numbers you provided – your husband is likely entitled to about $850 per month, instead of his current $750. And that would not affect your own SS benefit in any way. Your FRA entitlement would need to be more than twice your husband’s FRA entitlement for him to receive a spousal boost from you. But if either of you claimed Social Security before (or after) your respective full retirement ages, your husband would not get 50% of your benefit.

Memories….Have you ever considered how many trails and pathways memories will take you as you go through life? Sometimes bringing joy and laughter and other times sadness and tears, but always bringing blessings of one nature or another. Just yesterday, I read a piece about knives and my memories jumped up front and I was recalling a time in yesteryear when my Granddad, Papa Hop handed me his knife and said, “Bub, ease over there and cut me one of them Willer switches.” I did and he proceeded to teach me the proper way to hold a knife as you whittled that tree limb into a small toothpick. Included in this impromptu lesson was not only the proper way to hold a knife safely, but also instructions on the importance of keeping a knife sharp and well cared for, proper way to close it, and a myriad of other uses for this invaluable object. Then he handed that knife back to me, just a lad of six summers, with a final instruction about always being mindful of what an important tool I now owned. Yes, I now owned my first knife. It was a bone handled Barlow that now has a chip broken out of one side of the grip because I did not learn my lesson like I should have. I had been to movies that showed fellers throwing their knives and sticking them into a tree. However, thrown improperly, often the handle hits first and that can result in a broken grip…and it did. My first knife had been defaced because of my not treating this tool properly. It was a hard pill to swallow, but to my credit, I owned up to that mistake and thankfully received forgiveness from Papa Hop for that foolish trick. A three part lesson, that has helped me throughout life. One, tools are important, take care of them. And two, it takes a good man to forgive foolishness. But number three was the most important lesson of all, a Granddad’s love will always be there! I still have that knife which I keep in a special place so that it will be a source of inspiration. I brought forth that story to make these points, (1)Jesus grew up as He did with a carpentry background and I am sure He knew the worth of tools. (2)Jesus probably did not carry a pocket knife, but The Bible likens the word of God to a sword. In Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.” And the third lesson shows that, He is quick to forgive and His love is always there! And so the trails and pathways of memories!