| |

The Ultimate Survival Guide for Widows

The Ultimate Action Plan for Widows

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate policy for more information.

Short and Sweet Summary: If you’re struggling to complete ALL of the post-death tasks, you need this ultimate checklist for widows that covers everything a new widow must do.

When your spouse or partner dies, you’re life is disrupted in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. Not only are you dealing with immense grief and oftentimes confusion, anxiety, and loneliness, but you’re now responsible for all of the post-death administrative tasks you must manage and complete.

There is SO MUCH TO DO and so many steps you must complete when you’re newly widowed. The various checklists you find on the Internet for handling the death of your spouse or partner don’t even begin to cover all the things new widows need to take care of.

It’s a lot to handle on its own, but throw grief into the mix and there are no words to describe how exhausting it is trying to figure everything out on your own as a new widow.

So, I decided to do something about it.

I compiled everything I learned how to do, including ALL the tricks, tips, and administrative hacks I uncovered and I wrote this in-depth guide that shows you, in logical detail, exactly what you need to do after your spouse or partner dies. It’s the most in-depth checklist for widows that covers everything a new widow must do.

I know how limited your time is, so you DON’T need to spend all your precious time figuring out how to notify credit bureaus, close bank accounts, find financial resources or research health coverage options.

It’s all covered in nine neatly organized sections.
 
I did the work for you, so you don’t have to.

The ultimate checklist every widow needs

Finally, an online course that provides new widows with the information and tools needed to complete the crushing list of to-do’s after your spouse or partner dies. Save time and effort with EASY-TO-USE worksheets and checklists. Efficiently notify companies with DONE-FOR-YOU letter templates. Get motivated and ORGANIZE all your jumbled to-dos into more manageable categories.

Have you been searching for a death-of-a-spouse checklist ?

Let’s face it–there’s nothing more frustrating than staring down the crushing list of to-dos after your spouse dies, only to feel paralyzed with indecision about what to do next and never actually getting anything done. And there’s nothing more discouraging than trying to get motivated–only to have confusion and fear hijack your best efforts. 

You know that you should start organizing your tasks, managing the bills, and closing or modifying accounts. Maybe you’ve even tried searching for post-death checklists on Google, asking for feedback in grief and loss Facebook groups, or turning to your family and friends for advice. 

And yet, nothing and no one is helping. 

You’ve found that going down the Google search rabbit hole is counterproductive. Facebook groups often spread false information. Your family and friends have no idea what post-death tasks a widow must complete. And now you feel like you’ve spent too much time spinning your wheels with nothing to show for it. 

You thought the hard part was dealing with death benefits, but as it turns out, that was only just the beginning. And now you feel like you must be missing something. 

Well, guess what? 

YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING. 

And you’re not alone. Most widows are. The truth is that having a plan of action is a game changer, one that will help you ditch the overwhelm, get motivated and get organized AND keep track of your progress.

The problem is Google doesn’t know how to organize your tasks, family and friends sometimes offer unhelpful advice, and sinking from the weight of your new responsibilities prevents you from taking action. In your mind, there are so many ways to screw things up that sometimes it feels like you’ll never get anything accomplished.

But what if there was a way to make sure you got it right?

Well, there is. 

The Ultimate Survival Guide for Widows course empowers you with an action plan to manage and complete many of your post-death tasks. In this course, you’ll learn how to prioritize responsibilities, manage funds, and handle accounts, and includes sections on everything from Social Security survivor benefits to taxes and insurance. Each section contains extensive advice on how and why to complete the most critical post-death duties, as well as fillable templates, checklists, and worksheets to help you break everything down into simple steps.

You have a tremendous amount to manage after your spouse’s death and grief makes it extremely hard to get motivated. I remember the debilitating days of staring down mountains of paperwork not knowing where to begin or how to get organized. I created this course to provide you with an action plan to help ease the overwhelm, get stuff done, and be as efficient as possible.

The course includes instructions on how to notify agencies (with done-for-you letter templates), organize jumbled tasks into more manageable categories, and keep track of your progress. Videos help explain the various modules in more detail and bonus material/workbooks add to your proficiency.

Are you ready to ditch the overwhelm?

Click the enroll button below 👇:

What’s inside:

FAQ

This common question depends on your unique circumstances.

For example, do you have a life insurance policy? If yes, file a claim first. Find information on how to do this in Section 4: Assess your Cash Flow.

Or if you don’t have a life insurance policy, check with your spouse’s Human Resources department and inquire about death benefits available to you from his job benefits package. Was your spouse a veteran or currently in the military? Military benefits might apply to you.

Find information on these potential benefits in Section 5: Other Death Benefits.

I’ve included an entire section on organizing your data/documents.

In Section 2: Let’s Get Organized, I show widows how to set up a filing system, gather office supplies, and backup data online.

You’ll also find checklists at the end of each section so you can keep track of everything you’ve accomplished.

End of section checklist for widows

But how do you know what you’ll need and what to look for?

There are important papers you’ll need to collect after a spouse dies. Things like birth and marriage certificates, adoption papers, military discharge papers, titles and deeds, and on and on.

Well, I’ve covered the most important papers to collect in the 48-point Important Documents checklist included in Section 2: Let’s Get Organized.

Widows must complete lots and lots of paperwork when a spouse dies. They have to merge, close or modify bank and credit card accounts, change beneficiary records, notify credit bureaus and change utility account names.

Find the details on how to do this and more in Section 6: Account Management.

Template checklist for widows

Not only will you find detailed instructions on who to contact and why, you’ll find done-for-you templates to learn exactly what to say and what information to include in your requests.

For example, new widows need to contact the three major credit bureaus to notify them of the death and request a “Deceased – Do Not Issue Credit” flag for their spouse’s credit record.

The Ultimate Survival Guide for Widows includes letter templates to show you exactly how to format the letter request. It also includes a fillable/editable format so you can enter the information in the template right from your computer.

I’ve included templates to notify credit card companies and debt collectors, too.

Social security is a major financial benefit for widows. When your spouse dies, you can collect on his social security record provided you and/or your spouse meet a few criteria first.

If your spouse dies, you can claim a widow survivor benefit if you’re age 60 or older. Or, if you’re disabled, benefits begin as early as age 50. Your benefit amount will depend on your spouse’s social security record and your age at the time you claim.

So many variable exist that it’s imperative you make an appointment with your local Social Security office as soon as possible. You’ll need to ask a Social Security representative to explain all of your options to you.

I discuss these benefits, including important numbers you need to know, in Section 3: Social Security Benefits.

I cover other financial resources available for widows in Section 4: Assess Your Cash Flow.

Widow need to figure out what to do about insurance and taxes after the death of a spouse. This is covered in Section 7: Taxes and Insurance where I discuss how to file taxes as a widow, review and decide on health insurance options, and tackle home, auto and other insurance considerations. This section includes checklists and worksheets to help stay on track.

VIDEO

The ultimate checklist for widows you’ve been searching for…

TESTIMONIALS

What other widows are saying

BONUSES

What else does The Ultimate Survival Guide for Widows include?

The Ultimate Budget Binder for Widows

Budget Templates

Understand your own personal finance numbers and feel confident in your money management skills with templates to create budgets, track expenses, discover net worth and keep track of personal tax deductions among other things.

The Ultimate Insurance Review for Widows

Insurance Review

Take the guesswork out of reviewing insurance policy quotes and uncovering ways to save money. Learn how to ask specific questions for EACH policy type before adding/changing/deleting items and how to compare at least three different quotes with line-by-line detail.

Internal Blocks Journal

It’s not uncommon for that little voice in your head to convince you that you’re not capable, the task is too difficult, or you’ll never get “it” done. Use the included journal pages to dig a little deeper into what’s blocking you and why. 

Ditch the overwhelm

If you’re a widow whose overwhelm is at an all-time high because you struggle with indecision about what post-death tasks to complete first, when to complete them, and how to get it all done, don’t worry. 

This Ultimate Survival Guide is the checklist for widows you’ve been searching for.

Related Posts

2 Comments

  1. Hi, Kim,
    Thanks for doing this guide.
    I have not read it yet, so apologies if you already thought of these things.
    Things that are still hanging me up after 2 years are:
    Probate. – Do I need to do it? what do I need it for? Do I need a lawyer to do it? what documents do I need to collect? how to proceed ?

    Also, I am still feeling sadness and regret over what I did with my husband’s ashes and wanting to create a lasting legacy to honor all that he was and did. Do you cover that kind of stuff?

    Thanks for all you do to hold us widows together and keep us smiling
    and healthy and getting stronger.
    Pat H.
    Pat

Comments are closed.