Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Couples can earn more in Social Security benefits by using sophisticated strategies. But there's a limit to how much the Social Security Administration will allow you to get from the program, and the way it handles the file-and-suspend strategy is a good example of how double benefits often aren't available.
In the following installment of the Fool's Social Security Q&A series, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, answers a question from Tom, who asks whether both spouses can file and suspend. Dan goes to the source, citing Social Security Administration rules that prevent more than one member of a married couple from filing and suspending, as well as limiting both spouses from filing restricted applications for spousal benefits. Dan concludes that the strategy can still be valuable, but you have to pick which spouse should use which strategy to maximize its value.
