Losing a spouse is a life-altering event that can throw everything, especially finances, into disarray. In this episode, Tina Fornwald welcomes Philip Weiss, founder of Apprise Wealth Management and seasoned financial expert with over 25 years of experience, to unpack the complexities of navigating finances after widowhood. Phil, holding prestigious credentials like CFA, CPA, and RLP, delves into practical tips for regaining confidence in financial management, the crucial importance of tax planning, and strategies to secure financial futures. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone seeking guidance and clarity during challenging transitions, as Phil shares his personal journey and professional expertise to empower listeners towards financial well-being. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country:  Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Death, Dollars, And Moving Forward: Philip Weiss Talks Widowhood Finances Our guest is Mr. Phil Weiss. He is the founder of Apprise Wealth Management, beginning his career in 1987 as a tax professional at Deloitte & Touche. Phil has accumulated over 25 years of experience in the personal finance and investment management. He holds the esteemed credentials as a CFA, CPA, and RLP. This conversation with Phil is going to be so helpful because one of the things that we experience when we’re dealing with the grief of a loved one is our confidence. That confidence in our identity can spill over into our fear of maybe managing money. This conversation is going to give you tips on how to regain your confidence and the importance of tax planning, and so much more. Let’s get into this conversation now.         Phil, welcome to the widowhood. Thanks, Tina. Thanks for having me on it. Looking forward to our conversation. Thank you. When you hear welcome to the widowhood, what’s the first thing that really like if it were a ticker tape, what would have appeared upon your hand when hearing that? I think of welcome to the neighborhood instead of welcome to the widowhood. That’s fair. Let me ask you something totally unrelated. What is your favorite ice cream? My favorite ice cream? It’s mint chocolate chip. Now, is it the green or the white one, because it comes in different ways sometimes? As long as it’s minty, it’s usually green. I like the mint. There are also other flavors that I like, but anytime I go someplace new and we get ice cream, I always get that because it was also my mother’s favorite. It’s like a nice little connection. It makes me remember her when I go to different places. Cone or cup? I get a cup. The Road To Apprise Wealth: Overcoming Personal Financial Struggles What made you start this business that you have? What was the road to this? It was a different road than most take. The biggest part of this is growing up in my house, it was the typical family model. My father was responsible for the finances. My mom was responsible for my sister and me. Here’s the thing. When it came to finances, my father wasn’t very good at it at all. We had unpaid bills, we had services turned off. When I was old enough to drive, I remembered going to local utility companies to pay them so that things could be turned back on. When it was time for me to go to college, I was told, “Go anywhere you want.” I wanted to be a doctor, and I was a psychology major, and I decided to go to Duke. I finished three years and I’ve done a lot to stay in school. I met with the president of the university. I worked out a lot of things. At the end of my junior year, I only needed six courses to graduate, but we agreed that I needed to step away until I could pay what I owed, and then I could come back. It was a toxic situation at home. I moved across the country to Arizona. When I was ready to go back, I decided medical school wasn’t the right thing. I had good grades, but they weren’t good enough. A psychology major, like that’s just more grad school and that’s more costs and everything else. I decided I wanted to study accounting, and Duke doesn’t have accounting degrees. That meant I wasn’t going to go back. I applied to the University of Arizona. I applied to Rutgers because I’m originally from New Jersey. I decided to go to Rutgers because I thought I’d get a better job coming out of Rutgers. I went to Rutgers. Those credit card checks you get in the mail. This is not great financial advice, but there’s good debt and bad debt. I consider this good debt. I use them if I had to pay rent on the house that I shared with other people. If I had to pay tuition, I didn’t have the cash. That’s what I used. I ended up in college with a good amount of credit card debt. I remember looking at those bills and saying, “You don’t make enough to pay this much in interest.” I put in place a plan to pay off my debt, which I did faster than I wanted. Anyway, when I finished school, I moved back home because that was all I could afford. One day, I came home and I got the mail, and there were these credit card bills that had my name on them, but there was only one problem. They weren’t mine. My father had forged my name to get credit because he couldn’t get it on his own. Before I confronted him,