From the author
Three years ago, my father died, and I watched my mother face the paperwork that came after: the calls, the forms, the offices that each needed something different. I am not a lawyer, an accountant, or a counselor. I wrote this book because I wanted something like it to have existed for her. Every rule in it was checked against the agency, court, or law it comes from, and the figures that change are kept on one page at the back so they can be kept current.
Edward Crowe
How they are written
Each book covers one stretch of time, from the first weeks to the second year and after. Each chapter starts with one question and answers it in a few lines. The rest of the chapter explains what exists, what to ask, and who can answer for your situation. It ends with what to do and what can wait.
The books are built on gathered research. It includes interviews that widows and widowers gave to podcasts and the press, their published first-person accounts, and studies and surveys of widowhood. When a chapter says what some widows describe, it is summing up that research in general terms. Nobody is quoted or named.
How the facts are checked
Every rule, phone number and web address was checked against the agency’s or organization’s own pages, and each book says when. Figures that change from year to year, such as benefit amounts, are kept on one page at the back with the date they were last checked. That way one page can be corrected when they change.
The books describe the United States. Rules differ from state to state, and they change. Check anything you rely on with the office itself.
What they are not
The books are general information. They are not legal, financial, tax, medical or mental-health advice, and reading them does not create a professional relationship of any kind. They don’t tell you what to choose. They tell you what exists, which questions to bring, and who can answer them.
If something is wrong
Rules change, and mistakes happen. If you find one, we would rather know. Please write to hello@widowsguide.org.
The books are published by JMS Media Group LLC.