Englishmum

Last year our housing tax was just under $13,000 and they have recently done a revaluation of all properties in the township so it's just about to go up again (but they haven't actually announced by how much...:curse:

In fact, it has risen by $1,000 for each year we've been here and we live in a very modest 3 bedroomed 60 years old house - in fact the land our house is built on is worth more than the house!

The town also earns a substantial income from the posh 'Mall at Short Hills' so I don't know what the council is spending the money on; last week the residents voted for a $75 million bond for the schools....(which are supposedly amongst the best in the nation)

Come to think of it, the school superindent's salary is approx $220,000 per year. Astonishing.

Deedee13

what educational credentials are required for the supers job? I need to apply. That is more than the President earns ffs!!

Elvira

and let me guess: you pay extra for water, sewage and waste disposal?

Tracym

As far as I know, there is no special pension for widow(er)s. However, they would generally get whatever pension the deceased spouse was receiving.

For example, my friend's husband retired from the military, and then worked long enough at a private firm to get a retirement pension from there also. She also worked her entire life. So I believe she gets his military and private pensions in addition to her own (although perhaps because both the military and social security are government benefits, there could be some reduction, I don't really know those details).

And I believe that some of those pensions would generally begin at retirement age, not just simply because a spouse is deceased, although I'm not certain there.

Anyone who knows more details please correct me.

Elvira

What you are describing is not what we in the UK would call a widow(er)'s pension. This is a pension given to someone who loses his/her spouse. It is meant to at least partially replace the lost income and help the surviving spouse bring up the couple's children.

I am worried about my friend whose husband died a couple of months ago. I don't like to pry, but if there is no such thing as a widow's pension here I suspect she will end up having to sell the house.

snowbunny

There are survivor's benefits under SSDI. This is one of the reasons SS is going bankrupt -- it's overburdened by trying to be too many things to too many people.

You'd have to know whether her husband was eligible (paid in enough quarters, etc). His children would be eligible too. However, it's no great shakes and without life insurance ....

Bob

There aren't much...where MIL teaches, the super is a right pillock...hmmm...

Jerseygirl

My husband met him a couple of months ago in NYC...thankfully she wasn't there.

Mallory

If you look at that sheet that is sent to you every year (3 months before your birthday), it will tell you the survivor's benefits for spouse and children.

snowbunny

^^^^

you will receive this if you are paying into Social Security, from the SSA. I don't know, however, when you start receiving these, because if it were right away, my husband should have received one.

ironporer

And my poor 69 year old Mom who has 3 masters degrees (special ed, learning disabilities and MBA) has taught school for44 years and has never made more than 45K a year. A-fuc*ing-mazing.

Tracym

Some jobs include as a benefit some form of life insurance. And many people here do plan for the possibility that they will die before their spouse, and purchase life insurance privately, especially if they are the only/primary wage earner. Also, sometimes they could have some form of mortgage insurance, which would pay off the home loan if they pass away.

Hopefully some or all of that is the case for your friend.

jumping doris

Sadly, no.
No where near, infact. We must have a high millage rate....is that what sets your property tax?
Our teachers are paid a lot and so is the superintendant. We spend huge amounts on the high school football team and on every other team. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember someone saying that they spend over a million a year on the football team but I must have dreamt that.
They spend about $30K on the High school musical.

They are building a huge new rec centre with a big indoor pool, lazy river,sports fields, function rooms etc etc and that is costing a fortune and will result in our taxes going up. No-one wants it because of the cost.
We can all go and drown ourselves en masse.

Jerseygirl

In that case I'd better not mention how much our property taxes are.

norfolkbroad

When my husband died in 2000 he was 100 % disabled from the military and receiving VA payments. He had also paid into spouse's military pension. However, I wasn't able to receive both so received the higher one (VA) which just covers my mortgage. I'll lose this if I marry before age 57 (they just changed this, before you couldn't get married at all). Can't get 2 big (ha ha) government cheques.

I can receive his SS pension at normal retirement age, or opt to receive mine, whichever is higher, but not both. His daughter, who lives in Louisiana with her mother, gets SS security benefits until she is 18 or until age 23 if she attends college.

Joan