Unlike many regular payments you make that would be due a prorated refund if you stop service in the middle of a month, a person’s last Social Security benefit is an all-or-nothing proposition. To the surprise of surviving family members, this may mean that money disappears from a loved one’s bank account in the first few weeks after their death, or never shows up when expected.
“It’s been a while since I’ve run into a case where that almost impoverished somebody,” says Devin Carroll, a Social Security expert who founded…
