How soon after my spouse passes should I meet with a financial advisor?

There is no urgency for most strategic decisions after a spouse passes. Some administrative items may require attention, including filing for Social Security survivor benefits, claiming life insurance, and reviewing certain pension elections. A financial advisor can help organize the immediate checklist and create a plan at the right pace.

What's a survivor benefit and how do I file?

Social Security survivor benefits may be available to widows and widowers who meet eligibility requirements. The benefit is based on the deceased spouse's earnings record. Planning includes understanding eligibility, filing requirements, and deciding when to claim survivor benefits versus your own Social Security benefit.

What's the difference between a spousal IRA and an inherited IRA?

A spouse who inherits an IRA may have the option to treat it as their own IRA or keep it as an inherited IRA. The best choice depends on age, required minimum distribution timing, and the overall financial plan. Non-spouse beneficiaries generally have different inherited IRA rules, including the SECURE Act 10-year distribution requirement.

Should I sell my husband's business or hold it?

The decision depends on whether the business can operate without the deceased spouse, whether the surviving spouse wants or is able to run it, and what potential buyers or succession options exist. Financial advisors can coordinate with business attorneys and valuation experts to evaluate available options.

How do I make sure I don't get taken advantage of?

Protecting yourself includes avoiding rushed financial decisions, asking advisors about their fiduciary standard, and getting an outside perspective before making major changes or moving assets. A trusted advisor can help evaluate recommendations and coordinate with other professionals.

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Financial Planning For Widows. At Your Pace.

Financial planning for widows handled at your pace. For women facing decisions for the first time after the loss of a spouse, with a patient, step-by-step CFP-led approach.

Schedule a Meeting Call (954) 809-3553

Fiduciary CFP® Patient Approach Coordinated Plan No Sales Pressure

HOW WE WORK WITH DIVORCED WIDOWS

The financial work has a sequence. We follow it.

Year one is mostly listening

We don't push decisions in the first six months unless they're time-sensitive. Most of the early work is gathering documents, understanding what was in place, and figuring out where you are.

The administrative checklist

Death certificates, account retitling, beneficiary claims, Social Security survivor benefit filing, life insurance claims, pension elections, tax filings. We walk through the list.

Income clarity, first

Before any investment changes, we figure out what your income looks like now. Survivor benefits, pension elections, IRA withdrawals, taxable account decisions.

Coordinated, not transactional

We work with your attorney, your accountant, and your family. Most widows don't need one more person selling them something. They need somebody coordinating the people already there.

Long-term, not transactional

We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.

South Florida-rooted, nationally licensed

Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.

What we do in the first year.

Documents. Pulling together death certificates, wills, trusts, beneficiary forms, life insurance policies, and account statements.

Survivor benefits. Filing with Social Security, evaluating pension election forms, and understanding what monthly income looks like going forward.

Account retitling. Joint accounts become sole accounts. Beneficiary designations need updating. We coordinate with your attorney where needed.

Tax filing. The year of death has a final joint return option. The year after typically shifts to single filing, which changes the bracket math.

Cash management. Six to twelve months of liquidity in safe accounts while we figure out the longer-term plan.

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE

Common situations we work through.

Composite scenarios drawn from real client work, anonymized.

01 The first 90 days

Cash flow stabilized, beneficiaries audited, a draft plan in hand. Most clients feel oriented by month three.

02 The first year

Tax positioning implemented, investment policy in place, the first quarterly reviews done. Decisions start compounding.

03 Three years in

The plan has flexed to handle real-life shifts (a new job, a sale, a loss). The pattern is steady decisions, not reactive ones.

What we do in years two and three.

Investment review. What you inherited, what works for you now, and what should change. Often the portfolio that worked for two people needs adjustment for one.
Estate plan update. Your existing estate plan was built for two. The updates matter, and they shouldn't wait years.
Income strategy. The new withdrawal sequence across your accounts. Often this is the year Roth conversions come into play.
Beneficiary review on everything. Most widows have at least one old form still listing the deceased spouse.

The pace matters. The financial industry tends to push for big decisions early. We do not. The work we do in the first year is mostly administrative and protective. The strategic decisions come later, when you've space to think.

RELATED SERVICES

What widow planning often includes.

Most widow engagements touch several of these:

Survivor Benefit Planning

Social Security survivor benefits have their own rules. We help you file and coordinate with your own retirement benefit timing.

See survivor benefit planning

Inherited IRA Setup

Spousal vs non-spousal inherited IRA decisions. The choice has tax and withdrawal-rule consequences.

See inherited ira setup

Estate Plan Update

Your estate plan needs to reflect your new situation. Beneficiary updates, trust restatements, will revisions.

See estate plan update

Other Audiences

Adjacent specialty pages.

Many widows also fit one of these descriptions:

Divorced Women Pre-Retirees Inheritors Professional Women

What we don't do.

Contact Us Today

We don't lead with proprietary products, structured notes, or non-traded REITs as a portfolio building block. We don't take custody of your assets. We don't promise market-beating returns. The honest answer is that nobody who has to tell the truth to a regulator can.

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QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Common questions about Financial Planning for Widows

There's no urgency for most strategic decisions. There IS urgency for some administrative items: filing for Social Security survivor benefits, claiming life insurance, and (depending on the situation) certain pension elections. We can help with the administrative checklist in the first month, then move at your pace on everything else.
Social Security survivor benefits are payable to widows and widowers who meet eligibility rules (generally age 60 and up, or earlier with disabilities or eligible children). The benefit is based on the deceased spouse's earnings record. We help with filing and with the timing question of when to claim your own benefit vs. the survivor benefit.
A spouse who inherits an IRA has the option of treating it as their own (rolling it into their existing IRA) or treating it as an inherited IRA. The right choice depends on age, RMD timing, and the broader plan. Non-spouse beneficiaries don't have the rollover option; they have an inherited IRA subject to the 10-year drawdown rule under the SECURE Act.
Depends on whether the business can run without him, whether you have the capacity (or interest) to run it, and whether there are buyers in the wings. We work with business attorneys and valuation experts to map out the options. The answer is usually not obvious in month one.
Three rules. First: any advisor pitching you a big change in the first year is probably moving too fast. Second: ask about the fiduciary standard, in writing. Third: don't move money to a new firm without an outside set of eyes. We'll tell you when something doesn't seem right, even when it involves another professional.

Find Us

Two offices, one team.

Boca Raton (Home Office)

1200 North Federal Highway, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 210-7339

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Plantation

7901 SW 6th Court, Suite 320

Plantation, FL 33324

(954) 809-3553