I took the time to create 2 new returns, one for my wife, one for me, each Married Filing Separately. After entering W2 and SS income and, on my return, the capital gain, the answer was clear. In our situation, which seemed like it might have been the rare exception to the rule, MFJ still beat MFS by quite a bit. Unless I'm missing something important, we'll just have to bite the bullet this year. Consider the question answered, and thank you for your help!
