Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, and 35% end in widowhood, usually with the death of the husband. On average, women will be on their own financially for one-third of their adult lives. It’s important to stay abreast of your finances – the traumatic time of widowhood or divorce is not the time to scramble to catch up on your financial knowledge.
Ten topics to Discuss on “Contingency Day.” And they lived happily ever after… or did they? It happens in fairy tales, but in real life, every marriage ends someday. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, and 35% end in widowhood, usually with the death of the husband. On average, women will be on their […]
Planning for the Inevitable Read More »
If your husband has recently passed away, you may decide it’s time to sell your home. Maybe it holds too many sad memories, or it’s just too big for you to handle on your own, or you simply want to live closer to your children. Whatever your reason, if your house has increased in value
Recently my client Jennifer called me. “I did it!” she exclaimed over the phone. “I bought the vacation home that I visualized.” That excitement in her voice was a pleasure to hear. Seven years ago she was widowed at age 27 when her husband died in an auto accident near their home in Southern California.
Put Your Goals in Pictures Read More »
After being widowed this spring at age 55, reader Lorraine from Temecula found out that her deceased husband’s credit was worth more than hers. Once she began to recover from the shock of losing her husband, she knew she should change accounts to her own name. She started with Sears, where she and her husband
Widow Finds Credit Tied Up in Husband’s Name Read More »
The good news for women: they live longer, so they will have longer to enjoy their retirement. The bad news: they live longer, and so their retirement will be much more expensive than for their male counterparts. Women tend to outlive their husbands. Only one-third of women over sixty-five are married, and on average women
Why Women Need Retirement Planning More Than Men Do Read More »
If you’re a woman who has reached mid-life a bit dazed and crazed by the passage of time, you are not alone. No one would disagree that women experience a dizzying array of life transitions. From getting a job to getting married to having children to being divorced or widowed, a woman needs strength and
This Is the Time of Your Life Read More »
I was widowed this year, and a friend told me she heard there are some tax breaks for widows. Can you help? Yes. As a widow, you may file a joint return for the year he died. In addition, if you still have a dependent child at home, you may use the joint return
Tax Break For Widows Read More »
In the old days, widows were forced to live with their companions rather than get married, because if they married, they would lose their survivor Social Security benefits. But under current law, women can keep their widow’s benefits at long as they are at least 60 years old when they remarry. But marriage still has
Benefits for Widows a Tad Confusing Read More »
When I hosted our firm’s quarterly women’s luncheon last month, I again was struck at the community and support women offer each other. Although we talk about financial issues, it’s the sharing and honest discussion of what is going on in each of our lives that inspires and encourages each one of us. Helen, in
Recently my client Jennifer called me. “I did it!” she exclaimed over the phone. “I bought the vacation home that I visualized.” That excitement in her voice was a pleasure to hear. Seven years ago she was widowed at age 27 when her husband died in an auto accident near their home in North County.
Put Your Goals in Pictures Read More »
Today’s women are no longer the weaker sex financially. Recent census figures show an unprecedented societal and economic shift. About 27 percent of married households identify the woman as the head of household, earning a greater income than her husband. The number of women earning $100,000 or more has quadrupled in the last decade. Women
Overcoming “Bag Lady” Anxieties Read More »
