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2002 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances
Printer Friendly Version (PDF)
Including Handouts
Introduction
If you were to lose your spouse tomorrow, could you handle the financial and
legal affairs of your family? This lesson, an update of the lesson, What a Wife
Needs to Know, discusses:
- What to do before losing a spouse.
- What to do after losing a spouse.
- A word of caution to widows.
Target Audience
- EHC
- Couples, wives, husbands
Objectives
- Participants will learn how to manage family financial
affairs to prepare to manage alone.
- Participants will learn steps to take to manage family finances
after losing a spouse.
- Participants will increase awareness of possible scams that
target older widows.
Major Teaching Points
Planning is the key to preparation. Use the checklists to learn what you have
yet to do. It is important that both spouses understand the family
finances.
The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service has numerous
publications to help you get organized.
Three common “con games” used to entice widows are claims that a spouse has
left an unpaid bill, placed an order for merchandise, and missed paying a final
insurance premium. Door-to-door salespersons use widows as their target market.
Give each participant a copy of the checklist, What a Widower Needs to Do:
The First 365 Days Checklist and What Women Should Know About Social
Security.
Suggestions for Teaching the Lesson
- Have participants complete one of the following
questionnaires prior to teaching the lesson:
– What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances: Are You Prepared?
(for the spouse)
– What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances: Were You Prepared?
(for the widow)
- Discuss the ideas in the handout, What a Spouse Needs to
Know About Family Finances.
- Have at least one copy of the Extension fact sheets referenced
in the teaching points and listed in the handout list. Some members
will want a full set; others only a few. Use the order blank in the
lesson and collect copies for members who request them and bring to
the next meeting. Or encourage members to contact the county
Extension office or look up copies on the Internet.
- Give each participant a copy of What a Widower Needs to
Do: The First 365 Days Checklist and What Women Should
Know About Social Security after the lesson.
- To add additional interest, ask participants what they
experienced, if widowed, or what they knew friends experienced when
widowed.
Handouts
- What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances
- What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances: Are You
Prepared? (for the spouse)
- What a Spouse Needs to Know About Family Finances: Were You
Prepared? (for the widow)
- What Women Should Know About Social Security
- What a Widow(er) Needs to Do: The First 365 Days Checklist
Fact Sheets
Judith R. Urich, Ph.D., CFP, Family Resource Management
Specialist
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