It's hard to see any bright side when a loved one dies, but the U.S. government offers a little comfort to many grievers -- in the form of Social Security survivor benefits. Take a few minutes to ...

Survivors benefits can help protect your loved ones if you die prematurely. There's a lot more to Social Security than just retirement benefits. One of the lesser-known parts of Social Security is ...

“A surviving spouse, at full retirement age or older, generally gets 100% of the worker’s basic benefit amount,” the IRS says ...

Taking Social Security at 62 cuts benefits ~30% vs age 70. Early claim buys active years; waiting secures higher lifetime ...

Workers and spouses become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits at age 62, but widow(er)s are eligible for survivors' benefits at age 60. Survivors' benefits let widow(er)s inherit their ...

Felicia, I'm sorry for your loss. Yes, you can collect survivor benefits based on your late husband's earnings and later switch to your own retirement benefit at age 70. This strategy often leads to ...

I am writing on behalf of my brother. He is 61 and has been on disability for more than 10 years due to back issues. When he was working he was paid under the table for quite a few years, so he did ...

In most cases, the funeral home reports the death to the SSA, but you should confirm that it has been done. You can also call ...

When you are told you overpaid Social Security benefits, you have an obligation to pay back the money. This can be really frustrating, especially if you didn't recall receiving any money in the first ...

If you have recently lost a loved one, it can be difficult to consider financial benefits. That said, it’s important to know that Medicare itself does not offer survival benefits. Instead, you can get ...

Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing ...