On Your Own: A Widow's Passage to Emotional & Financial Well-Being »

Alexandra Armstrong, CFP® is a registered representative with FSC Securities Corporation, registered broker dealer and member NASD/SIPC, and Chairman of Armstrong, Fleming & Moore, Inc., a financial planning firm based in Washington, DC. Ms. Armstrong has served as president of the Financial Planning Association and has written a financial planning column for Better Investing since 1978. She has been quoted in virtually every major U.S. financial publication and has appeared on numerous national television programs.

Mary R. Donahue, Ph.D. has a successful psychology practice in the Washington, DC area specializing in family and women's issues. Following the untimely death of her husband, she expanded her professional activities to focus on the needs of women. Dr. Donahue is a popular speaker and has been a guest on numerous radio and TV programs, including Good Morning America.

This fourth updated and revised edition of On Your Own provides practical advice to the recent widow to help her achieve emotional and financial stability. This classic best-selling book for widows is coauthored by Alexandra Armstrong, a nationally recognized financial planner who has worked with many widows over the years, and Dr. Mary Donahue, a psychologist who is experienced in grief counseling. The authors firmly believe there is a strong connection between the widow's emotional and financial recovery from the pain of widowhood. They think that to focus on one to the exclusion of the other prevents successful recovery since the two issues are intertwined. When the widow gains control of her financial situation, then it makes it easier to heal emotionally and vice versa. On Your Own leads the widow through the recovery process step by step, providing practical advice which should help her move forward to achieve emotional and financial stability. In this book they show the widow how to: Cope with your loss; Deal with your emotional needs; Organize your finances; Construct a realistic budget; Understand your investments; and Develop a long-term financial plan. The book is made more interesting and meaningful as the reader follows the stories of four widows ages 40 to 80 as they move in each chapter through the various stages of recovery. Although the book is written primarily for widows, any adult woman who wishes to take control of her life would benefit from reading this book. As one widow said after reading the book: "Yours is the only book that truly approaches it from the woman's viewpoint and clarifies what is a mass of strange and threatening terms and tasks. You havedone an important thing in a beautiful way. Thank you from my heart and my checkbook!"

Modern Maturity

On Your Own confronts the subject with intelligence and compassion. From facing your initial reactions through rebuilding your life, the authors deal with difficult issues clearly and realistically. This is a thoughtful and reliable book to help anyone through the shock and confusion of widowhood.