What can wait
Big, permanent decisions. Selling the house, making large gifts, or investing a life insurance payout can usually wait until you're ready.
Who we help
Financial Planning for Widows and Divorced Women
Losing a spouse, or ending a marriage, changes everything at once, including your finances. You don't have to figure it all out today. Paul helps you take it one step at a time, with a plan that's built around you.
How can a financial planner help after loss or divorce?
A financial planner helps you understand what you have, claim the benefits you're entitled to, and build a new plan for income on your own. That usually means sorting out accounts and beneficiaries, deciding when to claim Social Security survivor or ex-spouse benefits, reviewing insurance, and creating a budget and income plan that can last.
The first 90 days: what can wait, and what can't
What helps to do early
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate (or gather your final divorce decree)
- Make a simple list of accounts, policies, and monthly bills
- File any life insurance claims
- Contact Social Security about survivor benefits
- Keep paying essential bills, and make sure you have enough cash for the next few months
- Update beneficiaries on your own accounts and policies
Social Security for widows
- A surviving spouse can receive up to 100% of the late spouse's benefit at full retirement age.
- Survivor benefits can start as early as age 60, at a reduced amount.
- If you're eligible for your own benefit too, you may be able to take one first and switch to the other later. That choice can make a big difference over a lifetime.
- Remarrying after 60 doesn't end survivor benefits.
Social Security for divorced women
- If your marriage lasted 10 years or more and you haven't remarried, you may qualify for benefits on your ex-spouse's record: up to 50% of his full benefit while he's living.
- Your ex-spouse doesn't need to know, and it doesn't reduce his benefit or his new spouse's.
- If your ex-spouse has died, you may qualify for survivor benefits on his record.
Building your own plan
Whether you've always handled the finances or never had to, a plan built for one looks different from one built for two. Paul helps you:
- Understand what you have — accounts, insurance, pensions, and benefits, in plain English.
- Build an income plan — what you can spend each month, and where it comes from.
- Handle inherited accounts — whether to roll over, retitle, or keep an inherited IRA separate.
- Review your protection — health insurance, long-term care, and your own estate documents.
- Plan for what's next — staying in the home, downsizing, helping family, or leaving a legacy.
Working with Paul
There's no rush and no pressure. Many women first come to Paul simply to understand where they stand. Meetings are at his Woburn office, by phone, or by video, and you're welcome to bring a family member or friend.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
Take care of the essentials first: secure enough cash for the next few months, gather documents, file life insurance claims, and contact Social Security. Bigger decisions, like selling a home or investing a payout, can usually wait.
Boston Metro Advisor and LPL Financial are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any government agency.