* The average age of widowhood in the United States is 55 years.

* A third of women who become widowed are younger than age 60, and half of all women who will become widowed become so by age 65.

* From the 2000 U.S. Census: Nearly half of the women in the United States – ages 65 years and older – are widowed.

* Nearly 700,000 women lose their husbands each year and will be widows for an average of 14 years.”-U.S. Bureau of the Census (1999).

* According to the 2010 U.S. Census there are 11 million widows in the U.S.

* One study reported that 75% of widows indicate a loss of contact with friends and some relatives.

* In a 2010 U.N. study, at least 245 million women around the world have been widowed and more than 115 million of them live in devastating poverty.

* The death of a spouse is considered the #1 stressor on the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (see scale below). If a person scores 300 or more, the person is likely to encounter a physical illness. Since the death of a spouse may result in numerous changes, a new widow could easily reach 300 points. One website reports that 60% of new widows experience a serious illness within the first year of widowhood.

* Mathew Greenwald & Associates’ Survey of Recent Widows raises red flags that all couples over 50 should know and deal with before it’s too late for them.

That’s particularly true if the husband handles most of the household’s investments and financial planning.

What the Survey Discovered

The survey, conducted for the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) and funded by the American Council of Life Insurers, interviewed 246 women age 70 and younger who became widowed within the past five years and had financial assets of $50,000 to $1 million. Among its findings:

• 61% of the widows whose husbands were responsible for financial planning had difficulty filing income taxes.
• Half of the widows lost at least 50% of their income when their husbands died.
• 45% of widows with $50,000 to $99,999 in savings and investments did not have an emergency fund prior to their husband’s death. Roughly a third (29%) of all widows surveyed lacked emergency funds.
• 37% had difficulty determining what they were entitled to receive from Social Security and initiating Social Security benefits after their husbands died.
• 26% had difficulty locating bank accounts and investments and obtaining access after their husbands died.
• And 26% of the widows whose husbands were responsible for financial planning had to move to less expensive housing as a result of their spouse’s death.

Information from Forbes Magazine – November 2013

From the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale

Life event	Life change units
Death of a spouse	100
Divorce	73
Marital separation	65
Imprisonment	63
Death of a close family member	63
Personal injury or illness	53
Marriage	50
Dismissal from work	47
Marital reconciliation	45
Retirement	45
Change in health of family member	44
Pregnancy	40
Sexual difficulties	39
Gain a new family member	39
Business readjustment	39
Change in financial state	38
Death of a close friend	37
Change to different line of work	36
Change in frequency of arguments	35
Major mortgage	32
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan	30
Change in responsibilities at work	29
Child leaving home	29
Trouble with in-laws	29
Outstanding personal achievement	28
Spouse starts or stops work	26
Beginning or end school	26
Change in living conditions	25
Revision of personal habits	24
Trouble with boss	23
Change in working hours or conditions	20
Change in residence	20
Change in schools	20
Change in recreation	19
Change in church activities	19
Change in social activities	18
Minor mortgage or loan	17
Change in sleeping habits	16
Change in number of family reunions	15
Change in eating habits	15
Vacation	13
Major Holiday	12
Minor violation of law	11