Who We Serve
Women in Transition – Elizabeth, Recently Widowed
Elizabeth came to Rockwood after her husband lost his three-year battle with cancer. After devoting the last few years to caring for her husband, she now faced the daunting challenge of ensuring financial security for herself and her adult children. Elizabeth's late husband, a high-level corporate executive, had always taken care of the family finances, leaving her without the confidence necessary to move forward financially.
Initially, Elizabeth felt overwhelmed in her attempt determine how to organize the assets to meet her immediate and long-term needs. She needed help understanding her husband's stock options, deferred compensation plan, 401(k), pension, and the survivor benefits to which she is entitled from his employer. Rockwood was able to assist with transitioning the mortgages into Elizabeth’s name, implementing updated Property and Casualty Insurance policies to include her increasingly valuable art collection.
Now that she had the confidence to take the reins financially, we helped her purchase a vacation home to serve as the family epicenter and gathering place for her loved ones who were scattered across the country. In parallel with that purchase, we helped her modernize and update her estate plan to provide multi-generational support for her children and grandchildren.
During that process, it became clear that she possessed a vibrant charitable spirit, and she enjoyed the implementation of a prudent charitable giving program using a Donor Advised Fund to maximize the tax-efficiency of her charitable gifts.
Together with Elizabeth, we created a sound investment plan aligned with her current and future income needs to give her the confidence that she can meet her financial obligations and maintain her dignity and independence throughout her lifetime.
We meet with Elizabeth on a quarterly basis to help her implement the plan and structure her cash flow. Elizabeth is a model client as evidenced by her engagement in the wealth planning process and dedication to informed financial decisions for the benefit of her entire family.
The storylines above approximate subcategories of the broad client demographic with whom we work. These parables are intended to reflect a typical client relationship; however, nothing contained herein represents a statement of a client’s experience with or endorsement of our firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m recently widowed or divorced—where do I start to regain financial confidence?
A: We begin by helping you organize your finances and understand your complete financial picture. Together, we’ll review your assets, income sources, and benefits to build a plan to help support your needs now and for the future. Our goal is to help you move from uncertainty to clarity, with confidence in every decision you make.
Can you help me understand and manage my late spouse’s or former partner’s financial accounts and benefits?
A: We help you identify and consolidate all accounts, review pension or survivor benefits, and clarify stock options or deferred compensation plans. Our fiduciary team handles the technical details so you can focus on what matters most— rebuilding and feeling more secure about your future.
Can you help me manage cash flow and make large financial decisions, like purchasing a new home?
A: We help you understand what’s financially sustainable while honoring your lifestyle and goals. Whether you’re buying a new home, supporting family members, or redefining your charitable giving, we create a structured plan to help you move forward with clarity and independence.