“Dear Steve,
My wife just died of a heart attack at work, She was the supporter and I am dependent on her medical insurance because of a long list of cronic health problems including Sarcoidosis, Fibromyagia, Sleep Apnea, chronic pain, Insomnia. I have not worked in many years and have $100,000. + in school loans in deferment, including all the credit card debt. and our Apt.
What the hell am I to do now, Depression is starting to settle in and making it hard to make decisions, I am screwed.
Mark”
The Answer:
Dear Mark,
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. Shocker.
Hopefully she had life insurance to replace her income incase of her death.
You mentioned “all the credit card debt.” How much debt is it and whose name(s) was the account in? Was it on both your names?
If the student loan debt is government backed debt then you may have to go for a permanent disability ruling. That may make you eligible for Social Security benefits and may discharge the student loan. Have you already been declared permanently disabled?
If you have not done so already, you might want to talk to your doctor about your feelings of depression and seek help for that before it gets out of control.
For any details on the continuation of your health insurance, if it was provided by the company where your wife worked, you’ll have to discuss that matter with the HR department.
Did your wife have any retirement funds, 401(k), or other assets that will pass to you?
If you have a credit or debt question you’d like to ask just use the online form. I’m happy to help you totally for free.