Free Download · For Recent Widows
The Widow's Penalty Survival Guide: what to do in the first 3 years
Filing-status changes, year-of-death tax decisions, the bracket jump in year 2 that raises taxes on the same income, survivor Social Security choices, and the deductions that disappear. The 5-step plan no financial advisor walks you through.
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What you'll get
A printable 5-step guide covering the decisions a recent widow has to make, plus the trap that catches almost everyone in year 2 if nobody warned them in advance.
- Step 1: The year-of-death tax decisionYou can still file Married Filing Jointly in the year your spouse passed. This year saves the most. Don't waste it.
- Step 2: The Qualifying Surviving Spouse window (years 1-2 if you have a dependent child)Two more years of MFJ rates. Most widows don't know this exists and leave money on the table.
- Step 3: The bracket trap in year 2 or year 3Same income, single filer brackets, IRMAA tier jumps. Tax bill increases $3,000-$8,000 with no change in actual money. The math, in advance.
- Step 4: The Social Security survivor decisionTake your own benefit first and switch to survivor later? Or take survivor first? The decision is irreversible and worth $50K-$200K.
- Step 5: Roth conversions during the MFJ windowThe last year (or 3) at married rates is likely the best Roth conversion window of your life. Use it.
Plus the "do this first" punch-list: the 8 immediate paperwork moves (SS notification, beneficiary updates, account retitling, RMD coordination) that need to happen in the first 30 days, listed so nothing slips.
A note from Hans: If you're reading this in the first year after losing your spouse, the math feels distant from the grief. It is. But the decisions you make in this year and next have a 30-year impact on your finances, and most of them have IRS deadlines. The guide walks through what's urgent and what can wait. The free walkthrough is yours whenever you're ready.
