Hillspring Financial has specialized in working with widowed and divorced women for many years. Through this experience we have come to know the challenges they face – emotionally and financially.

By focusing in this area we’ve been able to develop a thorough process to assist “Recently Single” women in getting on top of the details very quickly and allow the light to begin shining on their lives once again.

“Sally’s” Story
We received a call one afternoon from a caring pastor in the community who had been visiting with Sally, one of his church members. Sally had just become widowed and had no idea where to turn for help. He asked if we wouldn’t mind visiting with her to help her work through the issues she was faced with.

As we met with Sally, she had no idea where to start. Since her husband had always taken care of financial details, she had no idea how to access her bank accounts on line or how to find out how much life insurance she had, if any. The idea of trying to take care of her savings and investments alone frightened her. She was desperately afraid she would run out of money and would have to go back to work.
*Fictitious name. Story is based on actual experiences.

How We Helped Sally
Sally’s situation is not uncommon. We see “Recently Single” women in similar situations on a regular basis. Regardless of whether it happens through divorce or death of a spouse, the concerns and needs are very similar.

In Sally’s case, our “Detail Specialist” sat down with her in her home to put together a complete inventory of resources and issues that needed to be addressed.

As is often the case, Sally’s major concern was whether she would have enough money to last the rest of her life without having to go back to work or live with her children.

We assisted her in filing claims and notices, as appropriate. She wondered about selling her home, but we encouraged her to put off major decisions for a few months until she was able to "get her feet on the ground".

Her husband had taken care of all their money himself, and had done a reasonable job of it.  With some restructuring and helping her come up with a carefully written plan, she is now on track to remain fully independent for the rest of her life.

Though Sally will never get over not having her husband around, she has done a great job of putting her life back together. She has even found a dancing partner which has allowed her to put a little spark back in her life.

How We Can Help You
One of the most rewarding things we do is to help women work through this difficult period in their lives and come out on top. If you will be or are already in this situation, we can be there for you.

Once we receive a call from you, a member of our staff will visit with you in your home, or in our office – as you prefer. We will spend as much time as is necessary to discuss your concerns and needs. We will then review with you the details that need to be taken care of. There is no charge for this visit.

If you determine you would like to use our services further, to help you take care of the many details you face, there could be a modest fee for follow-up work.
 

Some Dos and Don’ts for Surviving Family Members
When a spouse dies, or divorce occurs, the surviving spouse is all too frequently the victim of crime. Too many crooks, hustlers, and con-artists prey upon those who have recently lost their spouses.  It is despicable.  However it is a common event.  Here are a few basic tips to help protect you against predators:

Utility Bills
Do not change the listing on utility bills, especially telephone numbers. If it is listed in the name of a single woman, the bad guys know it is likely a widow or divorcee. Don’t use initials either. The crooks can see through that one right away.

Bank Accounts
Make an effort to not put your single name on your checks. If you have one name on the top, you’re telling the world you’re now single. Too many people like to prey on recently widowed or divorced women.

Obituaries
Give a second thought to publishing obituaries. Obituaries are commonly used by deceitful people to target recent widows.

Credit cards
We recommend that people keep their spouse’s name on the credit cards. Most credit card companies don’t care as long as the bill gets paid.

Answering the phone
All too often thieves will want to “check out” a potential victim. After going through the obituaries, they will attempt to locate the house. Often they will call the home and say, “May I speak to George?” If the widow says “George just died, or “George doesn’t live here anymore.” She is identifying herself as a single person. If you don’t know the caller, just tell them to leave their phone number and you’ll have George call them when he gets a chance. If they leave a number, just have a male friend return the call and take care of any legitimate business.