"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Dimitri" > wrote:
>
>> >>
>> >>In the interim a spouse trying to LIVE on 1/2 her deceased husbands
>> >>SS
>> >>is
>> >>up the creek and there are no more paddles he/she can access.
>> >
>> >
>> > The full value of a vested pension is paid to a spouse...
>>
>> No it's not . At the time of claiming then pension the recipient and
>> their
>> spouse (because of community property laws) must determine a "split" of
>> the
>> pension i.e. 50-50. or 75-25 etc. When the one of the partners dies the
>> survivor is left with the agreed upon remaining percentage. This is the
>> way
>> the pension funds decrease their future liability and expand the funds
>> upon
>> the backs of the survivors.
>>
>> Lets take an example Mr. X gets a pension of 1,000.00 per month.
>> He and Mrs. X decide to split 50 -50.
>
> I'm thinking that you are both wrong. Doesn't it depend on the pension?
> When I retired, I had a choice of the five plans:
>
> 1. I get max money. If I die first, my wife gets a pittance.
> 2. We get a little less. We get that amount as long as *one* of us
> still lives.
> 3. Some weird ass plan, where the one survivor gets *more* upon the
> death of the other.
> 4. Same as #3, but roles are reversed.
> 5. Any number of beneficiaries, either percent or fixed amount per
> month, leave amount for last beneficiary blank, they get the rest. Run
> it through the computer. If you don't like it, keep trying until you're
> happy with it.
>
> --
> Dan Abel
> Petaluma, California USA
>
Here is an alternate strategy.
A person has a pension. The spouse waves all rights to her/his pension.
When whomever passes on the survivor retains 100% of his/her pension.
Years ago they purchased a term life policy on the pension persons life. The
value of that policy will be enough to purchase an annuity large enough to
equal the pension. The net result? Whoever dies suffers only the loss of
SSI of the other party and the income from the pension is protected.
It's important to remember the ability to create or replace income
diminishes with age.
Dimitri