Tag: Social Security benefits

Social Security Administration poster, 1956 Many women are fuzzy on how Social Security benefits for widows work and even more unclear about the program’s spousal benefits. I know two of these women. Their situations nicely illustrate how this federal program promotes the well-being of older women and families. One is my divorced aunt. She was…

The magic number is 35. That’s how many years of earnings the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to calculate every worker’s pension benefit. But 35 years can be a tall order for the many boomer women who took time off or cut back on their hours to raise their children. Nearly half of 62-year-old…