We will call you when the death certificates are ready….

Now what??! I asked myself. There were so many things to do yet I was emotionally exhausted. Exhausted from comforting others who were sad I had lost my spouse, sad that my life had changed and would never be the same. Sad because there would always be a BEFORE and now an AFTER when I thought of my life story.

The funeral director paused and asked if there was anything else they could do~ but Everything they could do was done.  I was lost, standing on the hot pavement knowing that every single person up to this moment had done Everything they could do for me.

I was alone, to figure out the challenges of my late husband’s life and now I had a new title Widow. I was confused and looking for help, I needed direction but from someone who could be impartial, lend a helping hand and not judge me. I needed someone in the deep end of the pool to say I would be alright.

 I already had friends telling me they had looked up the 5 stages of grief created by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. And telling me which stage they could help me with…

I needed someone who was not my family to listen and help me make a plan. 

When I speak to hospice worker’s I marvel how they usher a family through death knowing that they have another family right after and how they do this with grace and so much compassion, but they acknowledge they end the relationship at death, where the funeral home begins.

 When I speak to Funeral home Directors, I tell me them what they do is amazing but after the funeral (other than grief support - which I didn’t need the first 12 months) what else can they do?  I get a blink-blink of the eyes and they ask me well what else is there?

 There is so much to do. This is one of the reasons I started LOLA. So that I could catch that family member before they fall off the cliff after the funeral. 

 If you or someone you know needs help due to a recent diagnosis or a recent loss, please remember LOLA.  We are here to help.

“I am so unhappy with my current Financial Advisor...do you like yours?”

I was sitting in the office waiting area of a Financial Advisor who works closely with LOLA when an older lady I had come up in the elevator with blurted this out across the room to me. She had arrived with me and was sitting and waiting for her appointment. I had noticed she seemed upset and she had made a big sigh before she said this out loud to me.

I reached in my purse and gave her my card, I mentioned that I was a consultant and would be happy to help her. She said that her seasoned Financial Advisor of many years had left the group and they had given her as a client to a new young kid. I cracked up, “Thank god I decided to let my grey hairs grow in!” We both laughed. She said she was unhappy and had no idea how to change from the guy they had assigned her to. I mentioned she could go to any advisor she wanted and that she had a say in the process. About 2 minutes later, the office manager came up and told her that her appointment was the day before and her Advisor was out of the office. The lady looked at me and asked if she could meet the Advisor I was there to see. I nodded my head and said, “you can have my appointment time!”

We quickly discussed her lengthy career in teaching, then my Trusted LOLA Advisor came to the front and I mentioned he may have a new client. He sat back on his heels and said he was happy to help. We met briefly regarding another client and then I left him and this cute lady to meet and see if the connection was good.

Many times, we get to refer out to our valuable resources for LOLA clients, breaking through all the layers of interviewing and time it takes to find the right person for their team.

We enjoy seeing our clients make great connections with resources we think are valuable.