Widows Choose DB - John Garrett

Introduction
4 Steps to freedom
Doug & Brad
Supporting widows
How we help you
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Widows choose DouglasBradley because we are Masters Of Chaos…

What does that mean?

If you’re a widow, you know precisely what we mean by “chaos”. Every aspect of a widow’s life is thrown into chaos after her husband dies. Her emotions. Her family life. Her social life. The household finances.

It’s like coming home after a tornado’s ripped through your neighborhood to find the house torn apart and your belongings strewn everywhere. It’s so unbelievable to find yourself in this situation, it’s like a dream. Where do you even start to put things back together?

For a widow, the first thing you do is call us. We understand that you are so overwhelmed, you can barely think straight. We’ll help sift through the “stuff”. What do you have to do? What can you put off? We understand that a new widow is desperately grasping for some stability, for some control. We provide that by providing simple and clear instructions. We understand that you don’t need more complexity, you need less.

Introduction
4 Steps to freedom
Doug & Brad
Supporting widows
How we help you
Get in touch
Related Advice

In the early months of the chaos, one of the things widows don’t have is perspective.

You are focused on the here and now.

You are just trying to get through the day, or the week, or the month. We know from working with many many widows that it will take years to find your new equilibrium.

A new widow can’t even envision where she will be in two years or five. Our advice? Don’t even try. That clarity will come in time. We show you how to give yourself flexibility and choices so you can shape your life as you see fit.

One of the worst aspects of widowhood is the isolation they often experience. How you view yourself and how family, colleagues and friends view you has been up-ended. The one person who truly understood you, your confidant, is gone. Family and friends don’t get it. Colleagues at work probably avoid the topic all together after giving condolences.

The uncontrollable waves of grief can strike out of nowhere. Your emotions are unsettled. Your future is uncertain. The loneliness comes because there’s a limit to how much family and friends wants to hear about such an uncomfortable topic. Many widows learn to put on the “mask” that everything is ok. We know that it isn’t, that it won’t be for a long time. That’s normal. We can help widows find other widows to connect with – if that’s something she wants. We understand that a woman’s social identity often changes after her husband dies. She finds other people to connect with.

Introduction
4 Steps to freedom
Doug & Brad
Supporting widows
How we help you
Get in touch
Related Advice

Amidst all the chaos, we suggest new widows find someone they can trust to watch their back.

Many widows look back on the first several months and describe it as though they were “in a fog”. A widow’s brain is in survival mode.

This isn’t a situation where important or long-term decisions should be made. A widow needs a person to help her keep track of things. In the first days and weeks, a family member, child or friend can help with immediate needs.

But when the topics that need to be addressed turn serious – financial accounts, taxes, retirement plans – it isn’t something that the average person can help a widow navigate. Widows start asking questions to understand their options. Customer service folks, accountants and even attorneys struggle to give meaningful advice. How can they? They don’t see the whole picture. They don’t have the experience to know widows have options other people don’t. It’s not their future at stake.

Widows choose DouglasBradley because we aren’t frightened by the chaos. We thrive on it. We are masters of it. Our personalities and our education are suited to it. We’ve built systems and use tools to tame it. Our experience proves our efforts are effective. Widows routinely choose us to be their advocate for the important decisions. While many are crushed under the mantle of responsibility, we stand tall. While many shrink from the uncomfortable topic of death, we acknowledge that the death of your husband not only happened, but has irrevocably transformed your life. While your life is in chaos and you are experiencing changes in every aspect of it, we are the constant.