Social Security has helped millions of families make ends meet during retirement, but there's still a lot of confusion about Social Security benefits. For instance, many married couples aren't clear on one essential benefit that's available to them, mistakenly believing that if both spouses work, that benefit isn't available to them.
In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, discusses spousal benefits and how they can be useful for all married couples. Dan notes that most people think of the spousal benefit as something that a non-working spouse takes, with two-income couples generally doing better to take benefits based on their own work histories. But Dan runs through some scenarios in which taking spousal benefits in conjunction with and as a supplement to your own benefits can actually boost the total amount you receive from Social Security. With the opportunity to get more from Social Security, Dan recommends looking more closely at your spousal benefits and understanding what you're entitled to from Social Security.
Learn more about Social Security
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