Welcome to The Widowed Parent Blog
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What Widowed Parents Need to Know About the Probate Process
When my husband died, I had no idea what probate was. All I knew was that I needed to go through this legal process in order to sell our house, which was in both of our names, and to access any accounts that were only in his name. Since he had what was considered a…
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Top 8 FAQs on the Probate Process for Widowed Parents
When your spouse dies, it seems very cruel that most people are then subjected to probate, a very complicated legal process to access the money and assets that your spouse solely owned. For widowed parents who need to go through probate, these are the top frequently asked questions: What is probate? When someone dies, probate…
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How to Request Free Christmas Gifts for Your Kids
If you’re struggling to buy gifts for your kids this Christmas, check out these organizations that provide free Christmas gifts to families in need: Hope for Widows Foundation provides assistance for the holidays to widows and their children through its Bring Hope Holiday Assistance Program. To apply, complete the 2025 online application by November 22.…
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Top 8 FAQs on Social Security Survivor Benefits for Widowed Parents
What are Social Security Survivor benefits? There are two types of benefits you are potentially eligible to receive when your spouse dies: a one-time death benefit payment of $255 and monthly Survivor payments based on your late spouse’s working record. Read my blog post on What Widowed Parents Need to Know About Social Security Survivor…
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What Widowed Parents Need to Know About Social Security Claiming Strategies
Social Security benefits are complex and confusing. If you are widowed and planning for retirement, there are different factors and strategies that can affect the amount of your benefit and when to claim it. Types of Benefits These Social Security benefits are potentially available to widow(er)s, but not at the same time, and they are…
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What Widowed Parents Need to Know About Inherited Brokerage Accounts
When your spouse dies, the U.S. government gives you some financial benefits to try to help ease your financial burden. One of these benefits is that if you are listed as the beneficiary of your spouse’s investment account (also called brokerage account), you are allowed to receive what’s called a “step-up in basis.” To understand…
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What Widowed Parents Need to Know About Inherited IRAs
When my husband died, I inherited his traditional individual retirement account (IRA). Since I was listed as the beneficiary for the account, it fortunately did not have to go through probate. My financial advisor told me that they would simply convert it into an “inherited IRA” for me. At the time I didn’t know what…
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Why I’m Changing Careers to Be a Financial Planner
I hesitated to write this blog post because it will hold me to a decision I recently made. I guess there’s no turning back now! After almost 25 years of working in the technology field, I’ve decided to change careers and become a financial planner. How did I get here? After my husband died in…
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More Summer 2025 Grief Camps for Kids, Teens, Families & Adults
I’ve added 62 summer camps to the list of grief camps in the US, bringing the total number of grief camps to 202. Most of them are free, but many of those that aren’t typically will waive the fee for those in financial need. There are both day and overnight camps, and I’ve separated them…
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What I Learned About Grief From the Book “Future Widow”
I recently finished reading “Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice” by author and podcaster Jenny Lisk and can’t recommend this memoir enough to widowed parents, especially those who became caregivers to their spouses before they died. Lisk describes with honesty the often heartbreaking, daily challenges of caring for her…