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Honoring International Widows Day

by Amy Pucci | June 22, 2021 | Financial Planning

You may not be aware that June 23rd is a day that is dedicated to honoring and spreading awareness for the widows among us. We here at Tull Financial Group find it very important to empower widows by educating and guiding them along their financial flight path. There are many ways for widows to receive financial assistance and we’ll provide some of those in this blog as well as ways that you can help.

First off, we believe that it is significant to understand some terminology and background on the day. A “widower” is a man who has lost his spouse, while a “widow” is a woman. “Widowed” is the proper adjective to describe both men and women in their marital status and “widowhood” is the state of being widowed.

International Widows Day was adopted in December 2010 as a global day of action by the UN General Assembly. This day was created as an initiative of The Loomba Foundation. The foundation is a global campaign to eliminate discrimination against widows and can be traced back more than half a century ago in Dhilwan, India.

The story can be found here that provides the full details on the inspiration for this foundation. Ultimately it was created to care for widows and their children, and to change the culture that discriminates against them.

Reaching out for financial assistance as a widow can be different for everyone. It’s important to remember to share with your advisor the types of accounts and other things you already have. For example, did your spouse have personal life insurance? Brokerage accounts? Savings accounts? Retirement accounts through an employer? Knowing this part of the equation can set you on the correct path in finding support via our financial planning services.

Whether that support is with social security, grants, or charities, there are many options out there. For more information on these resources and what happens to debt after someone has passed, click here.

It’s also important to remember the kinds of assistance that aren’t financial. The greatest help often comes in the form of personal connections – having other women in your corner to talk to and support you as you progress.

If you don’t have someone you can connect with in person, there are also private Facebook groups where only widows are allowed and where respectful sharing of successes, feelings, and experiences are found. Two of the ones we are aware of are Hope for Widows PRIVATE Group for Women Only and a public Facebook Page where many women worldwide are connected through the power of social media.

While the Tull Financial Group may not understand what you’re going through from personal experience, we do have a deep understanding of the challenges of being a widow from the relationships we have with many of our clients. We know that the loss of a spouse can leave a huge hole in someone’s universe.

Learning how to cope with this loss on a daily basis requires patience and guidance, something we are happy to offer. So, on this #InternationalWidowsDay we want to show our support, provide encouragement, and volunteer to help any way we can.

If you are a widow and are struggling with finding financial or other resources, give Tull Financial Group a call on 757-436-1122. We’d be happy to connect you with the appropriate organizations or information or provide sound financial advice to help make your day-to-day life and future feel more secure.