This is an important point. No sudden huge finanical loss was incurred when the husband died because of this arrangement. In fact, depending on inheritance tax,

This is an important point. No sudden huge finanical loss was incurred when the husband died because of this arrangement. In fact, depending on inheritance tax, the widow might well end up getting a favourable deal (again, financially before anyone accuses me of being callous!). Still, any arrangement in which an individual might benefit from another's death is slightly dubious, much more so if the two parties aren't related.