Nobody wants to face life as a widow or widower. However, it is an unfortunate reality that many must face. Successfully navigating widowhood could be easier if you could prepare yourself in advance. In this Widowed in Retirement series, we aim to do just that. 

Today you’ll learn how you can start life again on your own. Mark Trautman joins me again to discuss his experience moving forward after the death of your spouse. He touches on prioritizing actions to take, setting up a summarized retirement plan, and rebuilding your life as a single person. 

While we didn’t have time for Listener Questions today, we have a bonus interview with Chris Bentley from Wings for Widows as well as a chat with Lori Mage in our Bring It On segment.

Listen in to learn what you can do to rebuild your life and begin again. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT A CHAT WITH MARK TRAUTMAN 

• [5:16] Our time is finite - make use of it
• [7:42] Could people have reacted better?
• [10:55] What were short-term actions
• [18:02] A retirement plan summary document
• [20:39] Going forward

A CHAT WITH CHRIS BENTLEY FROM WINGS FOR WIDOWS 

• [23:04] How he decided to create Wings for Widows
• [31:52] Working with the financially illiterate 
• [38:02] How to plan for widowhood

BRING IT ON WITH LORI MAGE 

• [41:02] On relationships
• [43:33] What Lori did to build a relationship with herself

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT 

• [50:30] When you mess up say it was a mis-take

Resources Mentioned In This Episode
Lori Mage
Heroic App
Wings for Widows
Foundation for Financial Planning
BOOK - The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes
BOOK - After the Death of Your Spouse by Mike Piper
BOOK - Option B by Sheryl Sandberg
Rock Retirement Club
Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That
BOOK - Rock Retirement by Roger Whitney
Roger’s Retirement Learning Center