What to do when financial planning does not exist

Last year I got a phone call from a CPA. He was referring to me a recent widow for assistance with financial planning.

Her husband had passed away, and she was overwhelmed by the deluge of paperwork she needed to complete following his death. In addition to the emotional stress from losing a loved one, she was charged with managing the family finances, a task with which she had no experience.

They were both in their 50s. The husband had children from a previous marriage, and they had two children together.