I don’t know a single person who delights in preparing their tax return. As a widow, filing your spouse/partner’s final tax return adds another layer of gloominess to the chore. And yet dealing with the tax returns of a deceased spouse is an unavoidable task every widow faces. Filing your spouse’s final taxes is definitely … Read More
A few months ago, I wrote about how common it is for widows to struggle with the reality of being on their own, financially and in most other aspects of their life. You, the surviving spouse have to re-establish life as an individual. This can feel overwhelming. Depending on how you and your partner handled … Read More
Dear Jerry, I thought about you often this week and wondered how you and your mom are doing. You popped into my head when I talked about secondary losses with a client and so I decided, as, I had some time today, to write and explain what that means. You may not have heard of secondary losses before — I … Read More
When your spouse/partner dies, what happens to any debt they had or that you shared jointly? Are you responsible for any money owed? What will happen to your credit rating? With household debt in the U.S. and Canada being at or near all-time highs, chances are the death of your spouse will bring questions about … Read More
Dear Jerry, Oh my… I’m so sorry. I meant to write this letter last week but the time just got away on me. I know that’s not a great excuse but it’s the only one I have. As both your friend and a grief counsellor, I promised you I’d write out some thoughts every week … Read More
Dear Jerry, I just got your message saying that your dad had died. I’m so sorry. I can only imagine how tough this is for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me. Unfortunately, I only got your message this morning as I’ve been away in the mountains — intentionally … Read More
I want to introduce to you the concept of thinking of managing your money as part of your overall self-care. Wikipedia says, “self-care is any necessary human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated”. Simply put, as this fact sheet says, “self-care is care provided for you, by you”. Read anything on … Read More
If you’ve been following (and hopefully reading) Suddenly Single Survival Guide for a while, you will have noticed that some of my posts are to the page Mourning Minutes. As of today, there are 20 short readings on that page. Gradually more will be added. Mourning Minutes was inspired by the participants in a bereavement … Read More
There are two emotions spoken about in the investment industry; fear and greed. Any investment professional will tell you real success lies in the ability not to let either emotion take control of your decision making. If they’re truthful, they’ll also tell you how trying to control these emotions is a constant battle. As a … Read More
On a brisk September Saturday morning, I hurried downtown. My mission? The Word on the Street Festival, a yearly event hosted by the Lethbridge Public Library. I particularly wanted to hear Sharon Butala, having recently read her book Where I live Now: A Journey through Love and Loss to Healing and Hope — remembering my … Read More
In recent posts, I’ve covered issues widows face regarding being seen as an open wallet and how to wean adult children off of financial support in cases when they’re capable of being financially independent. Today, let’s look at those instances when there are legitimate reasons for lending money to your adult children. I won’t go … Read More
“Loss has taught me that the death of a spouse or partner affects every aspect of the day.” — Barbara R. Wheeler, DSW Barbara R. Wheeler, the author of this slim volume (so slim, I struggled to find it in the library’s hold section) spent her career teaching future clinical social workers. As a therapist … Read More
