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Q&A with author, journalist, columnist, and bloggerVicki Larson of OMG Chronicles*  Part One   Question: Is there a timetable as to when most women who are divorced or widowed decide to date and get involved again? If divorced, a woman may need verification that she is still desirable (like Barbara) and rush into some unhealthy, but also healthy, relationships. Have you heard this? A widow might have this fantasy that a new relationship will start the way the relationship in her marriage ended (as with Margaret). What about a feeling of betrayal to a late spouse for a widow?  Answer: I haven’t...

A major loss can be devastating whether a job, family member, your home, or any number of unexpected events. In a nanosecond, your life as you knew is derailed. You can give in to the loss, sit in a corner and metaphorically suck your thumb, or you can use it as an opportunity to navigate a new path forward. A friend of Margaret’s in her late 50s was a financial analyst for a boutique firm. Her children are out of the house, and her husband passed away almost five years ago. One morning, she walked into work, and a pink...

  By Vicki HaakGetting a good financial plan in place is no different than having a detailed road map before you head out on a journey. In this case, the journey is your life forward with as few bumps and meanderings as possible. We talked recently to Vicki L. Haak, Certified Financial Planner™ in Rhinebeck, N.Y., about the key steps for anyone widowed or divorced later in life to take. Haak, cited by Hudson Valley Magazine as one of its 2016 Five Star Wealth Managers, herself is divorced. What are the biggest financial concerns you hear from women who are 50 and older when they didn't expect...

Through the years we've accumulated lovely jewelry from family when we were younger and then from our spouses once we married. Styles change, and some of it, frankly, no longer appeals now that we’re beyond age 50. It’s dated looking in some cases, too gaudy in others, too matronly, too youthful, or connected with sad memories.  Recently, we each surveyed the cornucopia of treasures in our possession:  Barbara’s 30th-birthday earrings from her spouse now look so traditional with their detailed ribbons of 18-karat gold wound into clunky knots, plus she doesn't want remembrances of their togetherness. A necklace with X...

“My Way” was Frank Sinatra’s signature song and reflected his life’s ups and downs. But Sinatra did not have a corner on the “getting my way” market. That’s reserved for a special class of people.  Some of us simply have a knack for getting their way as if it’s almost in their DNA. I’m referring to the breed of person who always gets the best hotel rooms or parking spot, a free dinner at a restaurant when service is slower than ketchup pouring from a glass bottle, full cash back for a garment that has been worn but no longer...