The death of a spouse can be a devastating experience, both emotionally and financially. As the survivor, you'll have to make important decisions while you're in what could be the most vulnerable and distracted stage of your life. The suggestions that follow might at least help ease your financial stress.

• Don't make major decisions right away. Put off selling your house, moving in with your grown children, giving everything away, liquidating your investments, or buying new financial products.

Age (not death!) and Taxes
Age does matter, when it comes to tax obligations
One of the elements that make our Federal Tax Code so hard to follow is that different laws apply to you based on your or your dependents’ age. To help you navigate through some of this maze here is a chart that outlines key ages and how it applies to your tax obligation.