The death of a spouse or going through a divorce is often devastating. Besides the emotional impact, common planning shortfalls can make this even worse. The worst situations usually arise out of failure to include the spouse in financial decisions and planning before death. Many times, the surviving spouse does not know where financial assets are held or how to access the funds if the deceased spouse handled all the household finances. In these circumstances, a surviving spouse may be learning the details of their financial plan and investments for the very first time. This is also true for individuals going through a divorce.