Estate Planning | Widows & Widowers | Diane Gardner, CFP, CDFA

Financial Planning for Widows & Widowers

Providing Financial Advice & Support

We're here to provide the financial advice you need whether you're estate planning in advance or seeking help after a death in the family.

Loss of a Loved One

Whether you’re proactively planning or you’ve recently suffered the loss of a loved one, estate planning is often the last thing you want to talk about, but it is an important part of your overall financial plan.

There’s nothing that compares to the grief and devastation you feel when you’ve lost your spouse. And on top of the emotional turmoil, there are usually many decisions that need to be made.

I’ll help you prioritize and help you take one step at a time.

This guide can help: A Death in the Family

Common questions or worries after losing a spouse or partner could be:

How will I take care of my family without my partner?

How do I pay my bills?

Do I need to get a job?

What do I do with my spouse’s retirement plans and IRAs?

Will I receive my spouse’s pension?

What happens with Social Security?

What happens to my health insurance?

These are all important issues, and we are here to help you sort through it all.

It's About More Than Your Money

Finances are just a part of the puzzle you’re challenged to solve as a new widow or widower. You’re probably faced with learning lots of new tasks and making choices that you never had to consider before.

Whether it’s finding community support groups to help you navigate these new challenges, or learning basic home maintenance, or even how to buy a car, we can point you to the resources you need.

As your financial consultant, I will help you take charge of your changing financial priorities. Together we’ll organize it all, update ownerships as needed, consolidate accounts, and sort through your spouse’s retirement and work benefits.

Planning for the Future

It’s also important to look at beneficiaries who are named on your various accounts, to ensure these are still structured the way you intend.

Once we work out the “big” decisions together, then we can take a fresh look at your everyday finances like income, savings, investments, and spending habits. We’ll review things like your will, trusts and insurance coverages and make recommendations if we feel any changes are needed. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and licensed insurance agent, I can work with you regarding insurance design to maximize your benefits.

As your financial planner, I’m part of your team of professionals who will help you move forward to a well-planned financial future. I’ll collaborate with your attorney, insurance agents, tax professionals and others to get you on track.

When You're the Executor of the Estate

It’s an honor and privilege to be named executor of a loved one’s estate. It took a lot of trust for that person to make you the one in charge of protecting their assets and property and distributing it to their beneficiaries. But settling an estate can be very unsettling! I’m here to help you navigate the process.

This guide provides a lot of great information: Executor Guide

LPL Financial does not provide tax and /or legal advice or services and this information is not intended to be a substitute for individualized advice. Please consult your own advisor regarding your specific situation.

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Proactive Planning Gives You Confidence

Over half of widows and widowers say they didn’t have a plan in place before their spouse died.*

No one likes to think about the death of their husband or wife, but making arrangements in advance and having the proper documents in place eases everyone’s mind.

In our discovery meeting, it’s important we include your family members, too. Planning with your adult children and/or elderly parents in mind is crucial. When we get to know your family personally, we can properly plan for you and your loved ones.

We’ll work with your attorney and other professionals to make the estate planning process as seamless as possible.

* Source: Cortes Law Firm