Why you won't outlive your savings

Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:

Why you won't outlive your savings

A significant amount of retirement research has pointed to "an impending retirement crisis for about half of Americans who save too little," said Gail MarksJarvis at Reuters. But a new study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute indicates the outlook may be "far less dire" than we assumed. Yes, some retirees end up exhausting all of their funds, but "most adjust by living humbly." Just the simple fear of outlasting their savings causes retirees to make their funds last "years longer than expected." The study found that a person with less than $500,000 in savings, on average, spends just about a quarter of it during the first 20 years of retirement. "What can devastate financially are divorce, caring for a mentally or physically ill adult child who cannot work, and long-term care expenses."

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Make the most of your spring-cleaning

"Spring-cleaning season is in full swing," said Mary Parisi at NBC News. But once you've "cleaned, decluttered, and Marie Kondo–ed your house," you're left with an age-old conundrum: "What do I do with all of this stuff?" Throwing it away can feel wasteful, and local charity bins are often "overflowing with more hand-me-downs than they know what to do with." Head online first: It's likely there are Facebook groups in your area that either give away or sell gently used things. Rather than send unwanted electronics to the landfill, donate them to organizations that can fix them up, recycle, or repurpose them. For unwanted clothing, several retailers such as H&M and Madewell offer donation coupons that can be put toward some clothing "you'll actually wear."

Advice for the grieving

Widows and widowers often find themselves receiving well-meaning but unsolicited financial advice from friends and family, said Ann Brenoff at HuffPost. "Sometimes that advice is wrong, can hurt them financially, and may even impede their ability to rebuild their lives." Widows and widowers are often told not to "make any big changes for at least a year." This is often code to discourage them from selling a home or quitting their job. But in much of the country, the housing market is robust right now, so it "behooves the bereaved to take a hard look at their finances posthaste." Figuring out how to best invest your life insurance payment can also be extremely difficult. For that reason, "get guidance from a professional, not an acquaintance."