Dear Rusty: My wife will be 65 next year and her full retirement age is 66 years plus 10 months. Can she collect 50% of my Social Security benefit at her full retirement age and then get her own higher personal amount at age 70? Her own amount at her full retirement age is $1,100 per month but her age 70 amount is $1,800. My Social Security is $2,300. Suggestions welcome. Signed: My Wife’s Helper Dear Helper: Your wife cannot separate her spousal benefit from her personal Social Security retirement benefit – whenever she claims she will be automatically deemed to be filing for both her own benefit and her spousal entitlement. Thus, she cannot claim her spousal benefit first at her full retirement age and defer claiming her own SS retirement benefit until she is 70. When your wife should claim is, essentially, a decision which should consider the urgency of her need for the money, her life expectancy, whether she will be eligible for a spouse benefit from you, and whether she is working.