Losing someone you love can feel overwhelming.

I get it! I've been there, too. That's why I wrote Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guide for Widows—to provide clarity through financial challenges and find a path to healing.

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Winner of 10 national and international book awards.

Over 80,000 copies purchased.

A portion of the proceeds goes to nonprofits benefiting widows.

Winner of 10 national and international book awards.

Over 80,000 copies sold.

A portion of the proceeds go to non-profits benefiting widows.

Be content to progress in slow steps until you have legs to run and wings to fly.

Padre Pao

About Kathleen

Kathleen Rehl, Ph.D., CFP®

Kathleen is a nationally recognized author, educator, speaker, and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® dedicated to empowering widows financially and guiding the professionals who support them. She operated her own planning firm for 18 years before shifting her focus to writing, teaching, and research. After her husband died, she transformed her personal grief into a mission—helping others navigate widowhood, legacy planning, and purposeful aging.

Her award-winning book, Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guidebook for Widows, has touched the lives of thousands and is widely regarded as a compassionate and practical resource. Kathleen’s insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Kiplinger’s, AARP, and other leading media.

Now in her “ReFirement” years, she continues to write, teach, speak, and inspire others to live with intention and heart.

Read Kathleen's Story

Kathleen and her late husband, Tom.

Reviews

Discover how Moving Forward on Your Own has empowered widows with resilience and confidence.

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As a former therapist and now a financial planning professional I think Kathleen has done a great job of bridging the personal and technical elements of this experience. I will use this book repeatedly and thank Kathleen for her contribution.

Tom Chancellor

Financial Planner

I am ordering several of your guidebooks to give to recently widowed clients. This book provides gentle guidance needed in such difficult times. My staff and I (one a recent widow) all agree it is the book we want to use.

April D. Hill

Attorney

I am so excited about your book! It is a much needed addition to the current literature for widows.

Michele Neff Hernandez

Founder and CEO, Soaring Spirits International

Whether you’re a widow seeking guidance, a professional assisting grieving clients, or a compassionate friend, my book can help. When the time is right, it’s a meaningful gift.

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Resources

Tools and insights to help you move forward.

Whether you’re navigating life after loss, planning your legacy, or seeking deeper purpose in the years ahead, these resources are here to support you.

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Empowering Widows

Legacy Planning

Purposeful Aging

Empowering Widows

3 Stages of Widowhood

Grief, Growth, and Grace/Transformation

Discover clarity and confidence after loss. My 3 Stages of Widowhood® framework offers a supportive path, guiding you from immediate financial triage to empowered decision-making and a renewed sense of purpose and security.

Empowering Widows

Financial Steps For Recent Widows

Practical Guidance for a Tender Time

If you’re navigating life after your spouse's passing, this checklist was created to help you feel less overwhelmed and more empowered. I’ve outlined practical steps—financial and emotional—that can gently guide you through this difficult transition, one manageable action at a time.

Filter By:

Empowering Widows

Legacy Planning

Purposeful Aging

Empowering Widows

3 Stages of Widowhood

Grief, Growth, and Grace/Transformation

Empowering Widows

Financial Steps For Recent Widows

Practical Guidance for a Tender Time

Filter By:

Empowering Widows

Empowering Widows

3 Stages of Widowhood

Grief, Growth, and Grace/Transformation

Empowering Widows

Financial Steps For Recent Widows

Practical Guidance for a Tender Time

Filter By:

Empowering Widows

Legacy Planning

Purposeful Aging

Empowering Widows

3 Stages of Widowhood

Grief, Growth, and Grace/Transformation

Empowering Widows

Financial Steps For Recent Widows

Practical Guidance for a Tender Time

Articles

Practical guidance. Compassionate wisdom. Trusted by leading publications.

Kathleen has written extensively on financial empowerment, legacy planning, and purposeful aging for major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Kiplinger’s, and AARP. This curated list brings together her most impactful articles—designed to inform, inspire, and support you or the clients you serve.

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