Widows and Financial Preparedness - Gayle O’Brien Blachura, CFP

<p class="p1">Widows and Financial Preparedness - Gayle O'Brien Blachura, CFP</p> <p class="p1">With the average age of a widow being 59 years old we can't overlook this important conversation on financial preparedness. Today my guest, Gayle Blachura talks all things financial with the focus on widows. How can we be prepared for the unexpected status of widow?</p> <p class="p1">Gayle is a partner, CFP professional,  and financial advisor with Financial Security.  Securities are offered through Financial Security Management, a member of FINRA and SIPC.  Gayle can be reached at <a href='mailto:gayle@gofsg.com'>gayle@gofsg.com</a> or 757-431-1414.  Or visit their website at <a href='http://www.gofsg.com/'>www.gofsg.com</a>.</p> <p class="p1">This brief conversation between Gayle and I is focused on how to be as prepared as possible should the unexpected happen. This is not a deep dive because as you’ll hear, finances are very individualized and every widow’s goals and needs are different. </p> <p class="p1">The reason I wanted to have this conversation is because based on the statistics, women outlive men. I saw today that the average age of a widow is 59. But that statistic is not a recent one and I think we can all agree that covid has left behind many widows, a lot of young widows. The chances of not being a widow, well, they’re just not in our favor.</p> <p class="p1">And I know you’re probably thinking, she’s being morbid and this is not something I want to think about. However, it’s worth having this difficult conversation, talking about the topic no one wants to talk about. I want to soften this topic so that women will take action, making sure they're as prepared as they possibly can be for something I pray they never experience.</p> <p class="p1">My only request is that you don’t look the other way. I never imagined I’d need to be thinking about it. Even when God prompted us to make a will and estate plan, my husband and I were planning for many many years down the road. We talked in the context of 80+ year