You probably only think about your tax filing status around tax time. For most of us it's simply checking the Single or Married Filing Jointly box. For those whose spouses died in the past year, taxes could change significantly if you aren't prepared.

How much time can you take off from your company if you have a death in the family?

Hint: probably not enough.

There are lots of things you don't want to think about when preparing for a funeral, but one that stands out is travel.

When a spouse dies, any bank accounts that were held jointly typically need to have the deceased spouse removed. This process is fairly straightforward, but it results in new account numbers.