Sorting Things Out as a Surviving Spouse Here’s a fairly common picture: During 50+ years of marriage, a husband (we’ll call him George) handles all the banking and investments. George dies. Barbara, his surviving spouse, must now handle unfamiliar financial matters. This is especially difficult in the midst of the grief and other impacts of losing her spouse. Barbara needs to know her financial situation, but doesn’t know where to start.

Looking Out for Trudy’s Special Needs Question: My niece Trudy was born with a disability and cannot support herself. She’s now in her 40s. I love her dearly, and want to leave her an inheritance to make sure she’s provided for. But I’m worried that the inheritance will make her lose the governmental benefits she now receives and depends on. What should I do?

Spouses Often Don't Know End-of-Life Wishes A recently-published paper by the Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison questions whether older adult decision-makers (surrogates) truly know their spouses’ end-of-life treatment preferences.

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