(413) 584-3098
Licensing
Full Menu
Skip navigation
  • About
    • Our Philosophy
    • Our Team
    • Community Involvement
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Financial Planning for Business Owners
  • Services
    • Understand
    • Protect
    • Grow
    • Value
    • Share
  • Newsletters
    • The DFG Navigator
    • The Soloist
  • Resources
    • Financial Planning Checklist & Worksheet
    • New Client Questionnaire
    • Navigating Solo Network
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
  • Free Consultation
 
Client Login
The Davis Financial Group SOLOIST Newsletter

One Solo’s Wake-up Call

July 14 2020

By Mary Young, D.B.A.

I was in my early 50s when I came face-to-face with one of the dilemmas of living solo: Whom do I call in an emergency?

I was crawling at 30 miles an hour in rush-hour traffic, when—bam!—the car in front of me abruptly stopped. As I slammed on my brakes, I watched in the rear-view mirror as the car behind me crashed into my rear end, jolting me forward, then the next car and the next. In less than a minute, 20-some vehicles had piled up on the highway. When it was all over, the State Police shuttled us to the tow lot where we watched as a procession of our battered cars was unceremoniously dumped at the junk yard.

This was back in the days before cell phones, so we were each allowed to use the waiting room phone to call for someone to come get us. I immediately stepped to the back of the line so others could go first. I had no idea who to call. While I listened to them reaching out to their spouses or children, I struggled with an existential crisis. Without a spouse or partner or adult children to call on, I felt a second collision. Who was my emergency contact? Whom could I call when my car was totaled, without feeling awkward for asking too much?

I also felt a twinge of shame. Unlike them, I wasn’t “hard-wired” to anyone in way that made them my natural go-to person. Although I had many close friends, we’d never had a “Will you be my person?” conversation. It wasn’t obvious whom I should call.

If you’re a solo, you’ve probably had a similar wake-up call—or many. The older we get, the more likely we are to live alone, whether we’ve done so for a long time or only recently. We may have been rock stars at functioning splendidly on our own. Yet there comes the time—whether it’s making a distress call from the tow lot or the emergency room, or making a high-stakes decision about our finances, living arrangements, healthcare, or overall aging―when we need some help from people we trust.

Ever since that highway wake-up call, I’ve had a personal interest in understanding how aging solos, like me, can take care of themselves and, when that’s no longer possible, ensure that others will act on our behalf. As a researcher, I’ve also developed a professional interest in this same topic. In future blogs for The Soloist, I’ll share stories from the soloists I’ve interviewed or heard from in focus groups, offer my own perspective, and suggest actions soloists can take, even if they’re still largely self-reliant.

What was your first wake-up call to the special challenges of aging as a soloist?

 

Mary Young, D.B.A. is Research Director for Davis Financial Group.

Are you subscribed to The Soloist?

Subscribe today for helpful insights and updates for Solos from The Davis Financial Group.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Davis Financial Group, 10 Bay Road, Hadley, MA, 01035. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

Recent Articles

February 15 2023

How My Partner’s Death Led Me to Become a Financial Services Professional

December 6 2022

...And Now for the Bad News

October 4 2022

The Good News for Solo Women

July 13 2022

More Good Reads for Solos

May 13 2022

Solos in Good Company

April 18 2022

Solos Emerge from the Shadows

Past Issues

  • 2023
    • February 2023
  • 2022
    • December 2022
    • October 2022
    • July 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
  • 2021
    • November 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • June 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
  • 2020
    • December 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • July 2020

Go back

10 Bay Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Office: (413) 584-3098
info@davisfinancialgrp.com

Davis Financial Group on Facebook

Davis Financial Group on LinkedIn

Broker Check by FINRA

Join Our Newsletter Mailing Lists

Mandatory field Subscribe me to:*

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Davis Financial Group, 10 Bay Road, Hadley, MA, 01035, http://www.davisfinancialgrp.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

We take protecting your data and privacy very seriously.

Securities, investment advisory and financial planning services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC, member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 330 Whitney Avenue, Suite 600, Holyoke, MA 01040, Tel: 413-539-2000. The Davis Financial Group, LLC is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC.

CRN# CRN202207-266274

© The Davis Financial Group, LLC

Close Menu

The Davis Financial Group

Skip navigation
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Philosophy
    • Our Team
    • Community Involvement
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Financial Planning for Business Owners
  • Services
    • Understand
    • Protect
    • Grow
    • Value
    • Share
  • Newsletters
    • The DFG Navigator
    • The Soloist
  • Resources
    • Financial Planning Checklist & Worksheet
    • New Client Questionnaire
    • Navigating Solo Network
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
  • Free Consultation
  • Client Login
 

Connect with us!

DFG on Facebook
DFG on LinkedIn