The Wall Street Journal recently posted a story about the fact that your financial portfolio might quickly start unraveling if you don’t prepare for the financial consequences of your spouse’s death in advance. Not only will you see two Social Security checks go down to one, some people have pensions that don’t have survivorship benefits and those would expire immediately. In addition, since you will have to file single, your tax rate may go up. “When that plan is disrupted by the tragic death of a spouse, there isn’t a lot you can do besides cut expenses or go back to work,” Jennifer Murray, a financial advisor, told The Wall Street Journal. The bottom line: discuss this issue with your financial planner.