How Divorce Affects Retirement Benefits

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The divorce degree states that I wasmarried on 2/15/69 and divorced on 11/13/79. It also states (I think, but can't read the decree wording too well) 12/78 as separation date (we actually separated on Mother's Day in 1979). Is the ten years from marriage to date of divorce?

virginia layne of NY 9:23PM February 02, 2011

Well if you were a wife who's husband cheated and then didn't want to work on the marriage you would have a different opinion too. He has chosen for years to not put away in a 401 k and I being a teacher am entitled to a pension that I have worked for for 24 years. He chose to drink, sit in bars, gamble and such versus save and now I have to pay him- ridiculous!!!!

Lora Ruedt of WI 4:52PM October 22, 2010

i am 69 and my wife is 63..we are getting a divorce. she gets about 800. in ss benefits ,i get 1850 in benefits ...does she get all of her benefits pluse half of mine?

jack of FL 9:29AM October 11, 2010

Length of marriage should NOT be an auto-majik money machine as a male
ex I am already being extracted by someone who does not deserve one dime.
She also uses the trick of living with someone versus legal marriage to extend
this extraction. If you have to retire with the primary income being SS they
have no right to stop you from being able to retire, length of marriage does NOT
mean that the "quality of service" to that marriage was adequate. Maybe all
of these divorce laws are a piece of what is happening to marriage in this
country....why take the legal risk and get married??

spoken01 of SC 7:15AM September 16, 2010

Well Rod if you where one of the ex wives who gave 10 years of their lives to a ex spouse your attitude would be different.
If all of those ex spouses stayed at home and took care of the family they would not have any social security built up for themselves for that time period.
I for one am a ex spouse who took care of a family for 30 years only worked part time in those years. That is what my ex spouse wanted. He didn't want me working at all. So I ended up working harder at home then if I had worked. Being at home is a 24/7 day job. Not counting the extra work you do with the family on weekends to help the family survive.
My ex never had any pension due to loosing it due to crafty businessmen. He only had social security. So when we where divorced we didn't have a 401k or IRA to split.
I have now just been able to earn enough social security credits to get a whopping $378 per month check.
Now I find myself hurt and unable to work and no income. I am 62 and not able to retire yet because I will loose to much of my small check.
So I would think before I said those ex spouses do not deserve a check from their ex spouses.
You need to walk in their shoes before you pass judgement.

Rosemary Desjardins of ME 8:53AM June 28, 2010

I became a teacher shortly before I turned 50. I have no choice but to pay into Teacher Retirement. According to WEP my S.S. benefits will be reduced by approximately 60%. This is going to cripple me in retirement. I paid into social security about 32 years, but I only have about 17 years of creditable years. IS THIS FAIR? Legislation has been introduced to repeal this, but with the economy like it is, I just see it being pushed farther back and not acted upon.

Joyce Howard of TX 6:37PM June 05, 2010

Another example of where Washington has exepted themselves from the ordinary citizen. Washington is out of control and it must stop! They should have to abide by the same rules that the ordinary citizen has to live by. After all they work for us. We don't work for them, but it seems we are these days!

Walt of CO 11:43PM May 22, 2010

First off, our elected leaders CANNOT retire with a golden parachute (it's called a pension) after serving only two years. To receive a full pension, one must work for 30 years in the Federal gov't, whether it be as a member of congress or working as an auditor for the GAO. However, if they have over 10 years and are 60 or older, they can retire with a much reduced pension. There are two systems as one was phased out in 1984. There is the old CSRS, where after 30 years you would get approximately 56% of the average of your high 3 year's pay; and there is FERS (started in 1984) where after 30 years you would receive 30% of the average of your high 3 year's pay.
Second, if it is true that 3 ex-spouses could each draw 100% of a deceased spouse's social security, I agree with you...It is NUTS!

Rod of Ca of CA 11:04PM May 22, 2010

Bulldog703 if IL, of all the comments I have read on many sites you are the first to hit everything right on the head. thank you and I hope others think about what you have said.

linda of SC 9:08PM May 22, 2010

Our elected leaders can retire with a golden parachute after having served as little as two years and they exempted themselves from mandatory participation

of 2:30PM May 22, 2010