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The number of Americans eligible for Social Security has been rising, but the number of workers at Social Security Administration is down 20% over the last decade. Meanwhile, delays in the processing of social security survivor benefits can produce real hardship for retirees, with the median retired widow or widower relying on Social Security for 75% of their total income. Kelly Phillips Erb, a Forbes senior writer and tax attorney, experienced this firsthand: When her father died in October, it took the help of a congressman to ensure her mother received the social security survivor benefits she was owed. Erb spoke to ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath about her experience.

In the days that followed, as our family processed our shock and grief, we had to deal with some very practical issues, including money. As retirees, my parents had relied largely on their individual Social Security checks and his small pension to pay the bills. We assumed that, following my dad’s death, she could continue to draw income from those two sources. Plus, my mom had me—an estate and tax lawyer and journalist who has advised dozens of families and written extensively about Social Security—to help make sure the transition went smoothly.

Doris and Wayne Phillips, the author's parents, as newlyweds in 1968.

Instead, it took five months, numerous phone calls, letters and faxes and help from my mom’s Congressman, to get all of the Social Security she was owed. Along the way, we got contradictory answers from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on the phone and conflicting letters in the mail, including one advising my mom to call a toll-free number that was disconnected. 

We also saw Social Security payments appear and disappear from her bank account and began to fear that her health coverage might lapse too, since she was paying her Medicare premiums (as the majority of seniors do) through deductions from her Social Security check.

Sadly, our experience was not all that unusual. Even as the number of Americans eligible for Social Security has been rising, the SSA has shed thousands of employees. After President Donald Trump set billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency loose on the federal workforce in January 2025, more than 7,200 positions were eliminated. Additional cuts have left the agency with just 52,045 workers as of January, down almost 20% over the last decade. (See chart.) 

With automation, some functions still run smoothly. An SSA spokesman pointed to agency stats showing Americans are completing a growing number of transactions through online my Social Security accounts. But problems pile up when interaction with a human agent is required, as it is for survivor benefits. 

Delays in the processing of survivor benefits can produce real hardship, considering the median retired widow or widower relies on Social Security for 75% of their total income. Compounding the problem: One thing the SSA does automatically (and quickly) is cut off benefits after notice of a death is received, usually from the funeral director. Eligibility is all-or-nothing for a month and benefits are paid in arrears. 

Courtesy the Phillips familySo if a retiree dies on October 22, as my father did, SSA will typically pay the already-in-progress October benefit in mid-November, and then withdraw the money from the decedent’s account, even if it’s a joint account shared with a widow struggling to pay funeral expenses on top of normal bills.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2026/04/04/social-security-benefits-after-death-of-spouse/

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On "Forbes Newsroom," Emerson Senior Director Matt Taglia discussed NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's standing after 100 days in office.

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Matthew Martin, a senior U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics, discussed the effect of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on global markets, the price of oil, and international trade.

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President Donald Trump announced the U.S. and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday night, less than two hours before his self-imposed deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or "a whole civilization will die." Just one day later, Iran on Wednesday accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire agreement and reportedly announced it closed the Strait of Hormuz. The White House said that what Iran is saying publicly about the closure is different what they are telling the Trump administration privately. Clayton Allen, the head of Eurasia Group's U.S. practice, joined "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss the "fragile" state of the ceasefire.

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On "Forbes Newsroom," Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) spoke about the Iran War, President Trump's threat to end Iran's civilization, and what might happen in the coming days.

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Just under 12 hours before President Donald Trump's self-imposed 8 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he warned on Truth Social that a "whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” This comes after his Easter morning missive, where in an expletive-laced post, he said in part, "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!" Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the FDD's Iran program, joined Brittany Lewis on "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss President Trump's latest statements and what they mean for the war against Iran.

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Detroit Pistons Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff joined Forbes senior writer Jabari Young on The Enterprise Zone for a conversation on resilience, leadership, legacy, and life in Detroit. Bickerstaff discusses his "old school" coaching philosophy, his unique approach to managing high-level talent, and the importance of genuine relationships in a transactional industry.

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From an unemployed linguistics student to running a commercial film agency, Grace Wells (@gracewellsphoto) turned pandemic boredom into a massive creator business. On this week's episode of the Forbes Top Creators Show, host Steven Bertoni sits down with Grace, a self-taught commercial filmmaker who built a massive audience creating "epic commercial content" for random household objects, and it all started with a simple fork.

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Jane Goodall, renowned humanitarian and conservationist, would have turned 92 years old on April 3. She passed away in October 2025, but in honor of her legacy, the environmental nonprofit she founded, the Jane Goodall Institute, has made April 3 "Jane Goodall Day." JGI executive director Anna Rathmann joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath to share the goals of Jane Goodall Day and what she wants everyone to know about Jane's legacy.

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