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The AARP Bulletin's Ask the Experts column provides answers to
important questions affecting older Americans. Read below for this month's
column, or review our archive of
previously published questions and answers sorted by topic. (Note: Recent
news or changes to regulations may affect the guidance offered in this
previously published column.)
Submit your own question
to the Ask the Experts column via our easy-to-use online form.
Q. I was married to my first husband for 35 years. He died, and I remarried at age 54 in 2001. I'm divorced now and wonder if I could draw on my first husband's Social Security?
A. Yes. Because you're divorced now, you can receive your first husband's benefits. At age 60, widows who are single and were married at least 10 years can receive spousal benefits. Check out "Survivors Benefits" at www.ssa.gov/pubs/10084.pdf or call 1-800-772-1213 for a free copy. —Expertise provided by Joan Zimmerly
Q. My parents, who are 76 and 80, have cemetery plots they no longer need because a beautiful veterans cemetery opened in our area. Can they sell them?
A. State laws vary greatly when it comes to cemeteries. Most states permit owners to sell their plots. But because plot owners don't own the property itself, only the right to the grave, cemeteries have their own practices. Some will buy back plots or sell them for an owner, especially if they're short on inventory. You may also want to consider donating your plots to a church or other nonprofit group for the tax write-off. —Expertise provided by Sharon Hermanson
Q. My mother took out a reverse mortgage in 1996. In 2001 she remarried but did not put her husband's name on the title of the house or on the reverse mortgage. Mom passed away last week. What happens to the house?
A. Because your mother did not add her new husband to the title, ownership will go to the person she wanted to inherit the house—the one who was named in her will. If she did not have a will, her state's law will determine who receives the house, which most likely will be her spouse. Reverse mortgages become due when the borrower dies and must be repaid at that time, no matter who inherits the house. If her husband is eligible, he could take out a new reverse mortgage to pay off the existing one. That way, the house wouldn't have to be sold. —Expertise provided by Sally Hurme
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