Sometimes I'll include something in a column about a broader topic that I think is just a small, almost insignificant piece of the puzzle. But then that nugget ends up confusing many people, causing them to write to me for clarification.
That happened recently when I wrote about the measly $255 one-time benefit that Social Security pays when someone dies. One of the points I made in that column is that the benefit can be paid only to a spouse who was living in the same household as the deceased at the time of death.
