When we first met Helena she had just lost her husband to cancer. She shared the fond memories that they made together over the last 47 years. But Helena was in a fog and felt lost. Even though she had prepared herself for this moment in her life where she would be alone, she needed help moving forward.

Helena’s late husband had usually handled the financial decisions and she was embarrassed to admit that she wasn’t even sure what they had or how to pay the bills. We quickly put Helena’s mind at ease and let her know not to worry or be embarrassed. We were here to educate her as well as walk her through the necessary steps to get her finances back on track.

Personal Plan

After helping Helena gather all her financial documents, we discovered that she had set up a living trust with her late husband. The trust documents outlined many of the items that were in question, but it hadn’t been updated for over 20 years and a lot of the information was irrelevant. We quickly helped Helena establish a new living trust for her as well as set up an updated Financial Power of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directive.

As part of her overall financial plan, we scheduled a meeting with Helena and her two adult children. It was vital that they were aware of Helena’s wishes and how her estate would be distributed if something were to happen to her.

Living in her existing home and maintaining her current lifestyle was important for Helena. We organized her existing investments and put together a game plan to make sure that she would avoid outliving her assets as well as maximize her Social Security benefits. The higher stream of income that we were able to unlock for Helena, allowed her to spend more time with her grandkids and donate her time at her favorite charity.

As time went on and Helena was ready to move forward with her life, she made friends with other widows in her community. We made sure that she had earmarked $8,000 a year to travel with her new friends and enjoy her golden years!