<prompt> Human: Hi rpersonalfinanceLast Friday, my husband was killed while riding his motorcycle to work when a car turned left right in front of him. Despite wearing every piece of gear available to him, he died almost immediately.I am a grad studentat home parent while he worked. We have a 4yr and twin 18m olds. I am literally suddenly doing this alone.I was, thankfully, the one in our relationship to handle the finances. So I luckily understand and have access to all the accounts. We werent well off, but we werent broke either. We were supposed to close on a house on June 16th. A GoFundMe was set up over the weekend for my kids and I and it has since reached over 22,000. I am also due to receive a 5000 check from a charity organization associated with what would have been my mortgage company Veterans United Hone Loans. My FIL also claims that theres was a 25,000 life insurance policy taken out for my husband, but we never knew of it its apparently through USAA and Ill receive that check as soon as I send them a death certificate.I dont know what my next steps should be. Im meeting with a lawyer on Saturday to ask certain legal questions, but Im unsure about how to properly handle all these different bits of money. I read that GFM takes a percent of whatever you raise. I also dont know the tax implications of that money. Is it a gift? Or income? The gift question as well for the 5000; is that a gift?As far as the life insurance, Im necessarily counting on it. But, if for some reason I do get it, how should I handle that. All combined, Ill suddenly have close to 50,000. My husband had no will, estate, plan, etc. I just want to make sure I get this all done properly so I can stretch this money as best I can. I know Ill get SSI survivors benefits still working on figuring that out, too, but I just want to do this all right. Thanks, sorry if its all over the place. Im slow on the uptake due to... You know.  <response>: I was in a similar situation when my father was killed by a truck driver last year, but I am still in the same boat as you. So far my brother and I have received money through insurance policies and other sources. All I know so far that may help is that the insurance money is tax exempt, but you will most likely get taxed on the donations and such. Also, when tax season rolls around again you may want to go to a tax professional to help straighten things out. As far as the accident you will definitely need to get a lawyer. The other driver can face charges which can go to civil and criminal court if they are found to be guilty of any wrongdoings. I am still going through everything and learning on my own so I am by no means a professional in any of these matters, just offering my experiences. So sorry for your loss definitely keep your friends and family close thats what helped me the most. 