Few events can turn a person’s financial life upside down as the death of a spouse. In addition to shock, grief, and loss of a spouse’s companionship, there is often less household income than before. There are also many decisions to be made (e.g., investing life insurance proceeds), forms to be completed, and suggestions from “helpful” family members and/or financial salespeople. For some survivors, the pressure to do something—anything—becomes unbearable. Decisions are made quickly, much like a “hot potato” that must be tossed away. (more…)

There is a huge debate if management of pension plan should be separated or integrated with the organization that sponsoring them. In some of popular pension funds, they were run separately from sponsoring organization. In other some pension funds in the market, it is still managed as if a part of the sponsor. (more…)

Facts - women live longer than men, a woman can expect to spend the last 10 years of her life alone, women divorced after 50 will not remarry, second marriages fail 60% of the time, women may take 10 years to regain her predivorce financial status, women care for their children but they will also be the caretakers for their parents, by 2010 it is estimated that women will control the majority of the wealth in the US. So no matter who makes the financial decisions for your family now - all women should prepare to be their own financial planners, wealth managers and decision makers towards the end of their lives. (more…)