Blog and Video Below
This is a very specific blog for our clients and friends who are navigating widowhood. If you know someone who might benefit from this material, please pass it along.
Death of a spouse, hands down has been proven to be the most stressful life event one can experience. Widowhood is such an intense transitional experience that widows need strong support, wanting to feel in control and empowered to deal with the situation. But often times, married friends become distant, other friends are simply uncomfortable and family members live far away.
It can be a lonely time when widows must gather their composure, ground themselves and ensure nothing falls through the cracks even though the life she knew has ended. While there are numerous resources regarding coping, resiliency and healing during widowhood, there are not many resources that walk a widow through her financial journey, prioritizing what she should focus on and when. Understanding this difficult transition can help her gain financial security and avoid mistakes we often see widows make.
Dr. Mattia is nationally recognized for her expertise regarding widows and money through her academic research, her financial services thought leadership and her compassion as she works with widows one-on-one.
Academic Research: Dr. Mattia’s recently published research can be found in the October 2020 Journal of Financial Planning entitled Self-empowerment among widows: financial Planning perspective
Additional academic research on the role of resiliency in financial satisfaction post-widowhood and the relationship between financial confidence and the age of a widow have been presented at the Financial Therapy Association, the Academy of Financial Services and the CFP Research Colloquium.
Financial Services Thought- Leadership as a Conference Speaker: Dr. Mattia has been asked to speak on the topic of How to Best Serve Widowed Clients for many financial services firms and financial associations. Some of the conferences she has presented at in 2020 include: Protective National Conference, Raymond James Women Symposium, LPL National Conference, Financial Therapy Association, Farmers National Conference, Citizens Bank Conference.
Working with widows: Dr. Mattia has worked one-on-one with widowed clients for 20 years. She is often asked to run workshops and speak to widowed groups. This video is a is an example of a recent presentation done for a group of widows:
Why widowed women need to be prepared and aware of the financial decisions being made or not being made on their behalf.
What they should do at different stages of the widow’s journey so they can feel better prepared and more financially secure.
How they can protect themselves from common mistakes widows often make.
