Getting Divorced? 3 Retirement Planning Moves to Make ASAP.
Key Points
In a divorce, one spouse may have to give some of their retirement savings to the other spouse.
You may need to create a new retirement plan to reflect your new goals.
You might be eligible to claim a Social Security benefit on your ex's work record.
- The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook ›
Divorce has a way of changing your perspective pretty quickly. Where you once saw a future with your ex, you now have to plan for a life without them, which can involve tough choices.
You'll likely need to make some retirement-related changes, too, and the sooner you get started, the better. You can begin with the three moves listed below.
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1. Figure out how much savings you'll have after the divorce
You may know how much money you have in your retirement accounts right now, but you might wind up with more or less than this once the divorce is finalized. Sometimes, a divorce agreement requires one spouse to transfer a portion of their retirement savings to the other spouse through a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).
Your divorce lawyer should be able to guide you through all of this and help you figure out how much you'll receive or have to give up. Once you have this information, you'll be able to better plan your own retirement.
2. Think about how you want your new retirement to look
You may envision a different retirement, now that you're no longer with your ex. They may have wanted to move or spend money on hobbies that you're not interested in. So go back to the drawing board and start thinking about what you want your retirement to look like. Try to anticipate how your spending will change between now and then so you can estimate how much you'll need to save.
Once you know roughly how much you need, you can design a new savings plan. You might need to adjust your retirement account contributions to stay on track. If you can't afford to save as much as you'd like to, do the best you can and increase your retirement contributions whenever you get a raise or have a little extra cash.
3. Consider when you'll want to apply for Social Security
You may be decades away from claiming Social Security, but it doesn't hurt to start thinking about when you'll claim. Having a rough idea of when you'll apply and how much you might get can give you a better sense of how much you'll have to save on your own for retirement.
You'll always have the option to claim on your own work record if you qualify for retirement benefits. You may also have the option to claim on your ex's work record if you were married for at least 10 years and if your ex-spousal benefit would be worth more than your own retirement checks. But you'll lose this option if you remarry.
You can create a my Social Security account if you'd like to estimate what your benefit could look like at various claiming ages. And if you have any questions about what kind of benefit you might qualify for on your ex's record, contact the Social Security Administration to learn more.
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