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Category: Widowhood

Do You Pay Taxes on Life Insurance? What a Widow Owes on a Death Benefit in 2026

Do you pay taxes on life insurance? Usually no income tax on the death benefit, but interest, installments,…
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Why a Widow Should Consider the Portability Election Even When No Estate Tax Is Due

The portability election lets a widow keep her husband’s unused estate tax exclusion. How it works in 2026,…
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7 Financial Mistakes Widows Make in the First Two Years

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Table of Contents Most of the financial mistakes widows make are reasonable decisions…

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Social Security Widow Benefits, Explained: Who Qualifies, How Much, and When to Claim

Social Security widow benefits explained for 2026: who qualifies, how the 71.5% to 100% amount is set, the…
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What a New Widow Should Decide This Year, and What Should Wait

The first-year money decisions a new widow can safely defer 12 months, and the 6 deadlines (COBRA, disclaimer,…
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Widowed Before 60: What Changes When You Are Still Working, the Kids Are Home, and the Money Is Suddenly Yours

Advice for young widows: what changes with Social Security before 60, your paycheck, the retirement accounts, taxes, the…
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Qualifying Surviving Spouse: What a Widow Files Each Year After Her Husband Dies

Widow filing taxes the first year: the final joint return, qualifying surviving spouse rules, then single brackets. The…
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What to Do With a Life Insurance Payout: A No-Pressure Plan for the First $500K+

What to do with life insurance payout money: why proceeds are tax free, the retained asset account letter,…
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“My Husband Handled All the Finances.” A Starting Point, Not an Apology

If your husband handled all the finances, you are not starting from zero. A 5-document map, a 90-day…
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Should You Keep Your Husband’s Financial Advisor After He Dies?

Should you change financial advisors after your spouse dies? Widows switch at three times the usual rate. Five…
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