Question: How can I maximize my Social Security benefits? My husband is retired, and he has been getting his Social Security since he was 66. I will be retiring in a couple of years and will also expect to get Social Security starting at age 66. Can I go on my husband's spousal benefits without claiming my benefits at 66, and then request my Social Security at my age 70? If yes, what is the process? If not, what other options do I have to maximize my Social Security benefits? Also, should either of us die, can the survivor get both benefits or only one, whichever is greater?

Answer: It depends on your age, according to Sam Boyd, a certified financial planner and senior vice president at CAPITAL Asset Management Group.

If you were born on or before Jan. 1, 1954, you can file the Restricted Application for Spousal Benefits or RASB. Read more about that here from the Social Security Administration.

"Aside from the age, the key factor for this strategy is that your spouse has already filed for their benefits," Boyd said. "The RASB will result in you receiving one half of your spouse's Social Security benefits with the ability to delay your own to age 70."

If that is the case, you can contact Social Security directly either in person or over the phone and request the Restricted Application for Spousal Benefits on your husband's record. They will know what you are referring to, said Boyd.

If that is not the case, unfortunately there are limited options available for receiving Social Security income on your spouse's record without filing for your own benefits, he said.

"One strategy to consider is that the higher earning spouse delay to age 70 to receive the maximum income benefit," said Boyd. "The lower earning spouse would file at age 66, or full retirement age, and collect either their own benefit or one-half of their spouse's benefit; whichever is higher. This strategy can be meaningful for the surviving spouse as they will receive the higher of the two's benefits for the remainder of their life. "

If your spouse has already filed, as indicated in this scenario, there is the ability to suspend his benefits and delay them to 70, assuming he was the higher earner, in an effort the pursue the aforementioned strategy, said Boyd. Read more about suspending benefits, and about withdrawing a Social Security claim and then re-applying at a future date.

Got questions about the new tax law, Social Security, Medicare, retirement, investments, or money in general? Want to be considered for a Money Makeover? Email Robert.Powell@TheStreet.com. Kim McSheridan assisted with this report.