Fiduciary Fee-Only Financial Planning and Advice for Widows and Widowers

As a recent widow or widower, would you prefer a smooth transition of your estate, your accounts and your assets so everything is simpler and more manageable?

Are you looking for professional guidance with a personal touch to help you achieve and maintain lifelong financial security and independence?

As a surviving spouse, do you feel somewhat disconnected with your current financial advisor because they had the business relationship with your spouse and not you?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, we really should chat!  Call me at 480.998.1798 or use my Contact Me page.

There are three critical attributes to look for when searching for a qualified financial advisor:

Fiduciary – An advisor in a fiduciary capacity is required to put your interests first and maintain a professional certification such as the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Also, ask your current potential financial advisor if they are required to fulfill a fiduciary responsibility 100% of the time, not part-time.

Fee-Only – means the financial advisor does not collect a commission when recommending financial products.  A Fee-Only financial advisor is compensated directly and only by their client. The term “Fee-Only” is commonly confused with “Fee-based”. A fee-based advisor can collect commissions through product sales as well as charge fees (commissions + fees). Approximately 95% of all advisors collect fees and commissions (Fee-based), meaning only 5% or less of all advisors across the country are Fee-Only!

Extensive experience working with widows and widowers. Find an advisor who spends the majority of their time, and has specific and extensive experience, working with surviving spouses and partners.  A good number of financial advisors choose to focus on certain clientele such as small business owners, companies needing 401k plans, or young professionals, for example. Other advisors say they can work with any client. My niche – my specialty – is assisting widows and widowers. In fact, I authored one of the most comprehensive and sought-after checklists in the country for new widows and widowers. If you need a heart doctor, you don’t go to an eye doctor and you don’t go to a general practitioner. The same is true of your financial advisor. Go see the specialist!

In addition to professional qualifications, ask the advisor if they have any involvement in the widowed community outside of their professional obligations.  Learn about my time dedicated to helping the widowed community. As your trusted financial advisor, I will put my 20+ years of experience working with widows and widowers to educate you and guide you on a path to clarity and confidence.

If you want a fiduciary advisor with experience working with surviving spouses, let’s chat.  Call me at 480.998.1798 or use my Contact Me page.

Additional Financial Planning Tools for the Recently Widowed