No one told you the household usually loses one Social Security check when one spouse dies.
The survivor generally does not keep both full retirement checks.
Retirement math changes when there is only one of you
Most couples plan retirement while both spouses are alive.
The one-person version matters too.
Social Security changes. Taxes change. Medicare income thresholds change. Pension income may change.
No one told you...
No one told you the surviving spouse may pay higher taxes even with less household income.
Eventually, many surviving spouses move from married tax rules to single tax brackets and deductions.
No one told you a large traditional IRA can make the survivor tax problem worse.
The surviving spouse may inherit more pre-tax retirement money while eventually facing tighter single-person tax brackets and Medicare thresholds.