WidowWise

What WidowWise does

WidowWise is a US-based for-profit LLC operating as a holding business and professional training provider focused on the widowed population and the professionals who serve them. The company delivers evidence-based education built on proprietary research collected through years of direct non-profit service at the affiliated 501(c)(3) Wings for Widows. Its core product is WidowWise University, a self-paced institutional learning platform with research-based curriculum, complemented by CFP CE-sponsored professional training delivered via virtual workshops, half-day seminars, and ongoing consulting engagements, plus a subscription Research Library, two Amazon-retailed books, and commissioned custom reports.

The business targets three B2B customer segments: financial advisors and advisory firms as the primary segment (driven by the cited fact that up to 80% of widows leave their financial advisor within the first year of spousal loss), grief and bereavement support organizations seeking credible financial literacy resources, and corporate EAPs requiring scalable post-bereavement support. Revenue streams span institutional licensing of WidowWise University, professional training fees, corporate partnership contracts, retail book sales, research library subscriptions, and custom research commissions. Distribution is built on professional speaking by Managing Director Chris Bentley, Journal of Financial Planning publications, Amazon retail, and partnerships with the FPA, CFP Board, Financial Transitionist Institute, and Foundation Financial Planning.

The company is led by Managing Director Chris Bentley, a Navy veteran with CFP and MBA credentials and founder of Wings for Widows. In December 2024, WidowWise acquired the Widowers Support Network, extending reach to widowers in 45+ countries, and the organization maintains an affiliation with Widow411, a digital education platform for widows founded in 2018. Ownership is founder-led with no external institutional investors identified in the available material.

Name

WidowWise

Legal name

WidowWise LLC

Website

https://widowwiseinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

WidowWise is a US-based for-profit holding business providing evidence-based training, institutional licensing, and research products to financial advisors, grief support organizations, and corporate EAPs serving widowed clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Financial Education and Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Caregiver Support, Coaching & Training (HLADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Financial advisor training
• Widowhood education
• Professional training services
• Financial wellness research
• Continuing education programs

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Programs: In-depth professional training for financial advisors and support organizations, available in virtual workshops, half-day seminars, and ongoing consulting formats. Includes CFP CE credits.
2. Institutional Licensing: Enterprise licensing of WidowWise University platform and curriculum for organizations seeking to standardize training and improve client outcomes.
3. Corporate Partnership Programs: Custom training solutions for Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) addressing financial stress for employees experiencing spousal loss.
4. Educational Products: Books and guides sold through Amazon including The New Widow's Guide to Financial Wellness and The Legacy Planning & Conversation Guide.
5. Research Library Subscriptions: Subscription access to proprietary white papers, industry reports, impact studies, and monthly members-only research briefs.
6. Custom Reports & Analytics: Commissioned custom research reports and data analytics for organizations seeking specific insights on widowed populations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WidowWise provides evidence-driven professional training, institutional licensing, and research services that equip financial advisors, grief support organizations, and corporate EAP programs to serve widowed individuals. The core product is the WidowWise University learning platform, delivered alongside CFP CE-accredited workshops, seminars, and consulting engagements built on proprietary Financial Wellness Survey data collected from thousands of widowed individuals.

Product overview

WidowWise offers a platform-plus-modules architecture comprising educational platforms, professional training, and research services. The core offerings include WidowWise University (an institutional learning platform), Professional Training & CE programs (CFP CE credits), and a Research Library. These are complemented by acquired brands Widowers Support Network and Widow411, plus foundational books and the Wings for Widows non-profit. The company provides evidence-driven resources for widowed individuals and trains professional support networks including financial advisors, grief organizations, and corporate EAP programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WidowWise University: Premium institutional-level platform featuring comprehensive, research-based curriculum with self-paced learning modules and evidence-based content for organizations seeking standardized training.
• Widow411

Products and services

• WidowWise University Premium institutional-level learning platform offering a comprehensive, research-based curriculum with self-paced learning modules and evidence-based content. Designed for organizations seeking to standardize training, improve client outcomes, or enhance employee support for widowed populations. Delivered via institutional licensing and corporate partnership models.
• Professional Training & CE Programs In-depth professional training service delivering CFP CE-sponsored programs in multiple formats including virtual workshops, half-day seminars, and ongoing consulting engagements, all tailored to organizational needs. Aimed at financial advisors seeking to retain widowed clients and improve service quality during life transitions.
• Books & Educational Guides Foundational retail educational products offering benefit-driven, practical advice for both widowed individuals and the professionals who support them. Includes 'The New Widow's Guide to Financial Wellness' and 'The Legacy Planning & Conversation Guide'.
• Research Library Subscription Subscription-based proprietary content library providing members with access to white papers, industry reports, impact studies, and a monthly members-only research brief. Also offers commissioned custom research reports and analytics on widowed populations for organizations needing specific insights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% client attrition rate reduction potential for advisors who implement training properly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Widowers Support NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Acquired by WidowWise LLC under Managing Director Chris Bentley in December 2024. Widowers Support Network is the premier global men-only community serving widowers in over 45 countries, providing comprehensive support for navigating life after loss.
• Wings for WidowscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner501(c)(3) charity founded by Chris Bentley that serves as the mission-driven non-profit foundation. Provided the direct service and research development phase that led to proprietary Financial Wellness Survey data and evidence-based methodologies.
• FPA (Financial Planning Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional association for financial planners. WidowWise delivers CE-sponsored programs and speaking engagements for FPA members.
• CFP BoardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCertified Financial Planner certification body. Partnership enables CE credit programs for CFP professionals.
• Financial Transitionist InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional institute focused on financial transitions. Collaborative relationship for professional education and training programs.
• Foundation Financial PlanningminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial planning firm partnership for professional education and referral relationships.
• Widow411coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital education platform founded in 2018, serving widowed individuals for 8+ years with empathetic, experience-based content addressing practical and emotional dimensions of widowhood.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Financial Transitionist Institute: The FTI is a professional training institute focused on financial life transitions for advisors—directly overlapping with WidowWise's core advisor-coaching niche. It is also an existing partnership, signaling peer-level collaboration on continuing education for financial professionals.
• Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation: Soaring Spirits runs one of the largest widowed-person support communities, including the "Widowed Village" online program reaching thousands across the U.S. and internationally. It is functionally a peer to WidowWise's Widowers Support Network and Widow411 community assets on the consumer grief-support side.
• Horsesmouth: Horsesmouth is a coaching and practice-management platform for financial advisors, offering continuing education and consulting support. Its broad-advisor-training scope and CE infrastructure make it a direct functional peer in how WidowWise packages institutional learning for advisors.
• The Sudden Money Institute: Sudden Money Institute specializes in advisor training around sudden financial change—including bereavement, divorce, and inheritance—closely matching WidowWise's domain of widow-induced financial transition. It is a comparable specialty advisor-training provider.
• Purposeful Planning Institute: Purposeful Planning Institute trains financial advisors in life-stage and values-based planning methodologies, including transitions around loss and aging. It competes with WidowWise for the same advisor-CE wallet on adjacent life-event content.

Broad incumbents

• CFP Board Center for Financial Planning: CFP Board is the certification body whose CE-approval infrastructure WidowWise leverages, but it is also a broad incumbent producing and curating continuing-education content for CFP professionals across life-planning topics.
• The American College of Financial Services: The American College is a long-established accredited provider of financial-planner education and designations, including CE. As a broader incumbent, it can absorb niche widowhood-specific curricula into a wider portfolio that competes for the same institutional training dollars.
• Society of Financial Service Professionals: A broad professional association delivering CE, designation, and chapter programming to financial advisors. It is a broader incumbent in advisor continuing education that competes for institutional training and CE-partnership mindshare alongside WidowWise's FPA/CFP Board partnerships.

Others

• Foundation for Financial Planning: Foundation for Financial Planning is a non-profit that engages CFP professionals in pro bono planning for vulnerable populations. It is an existing WidowWise partner and addresses an overlapping community of advisors serving life-event clients, though it does not commercially compete.

Emerging players

• Kitces.com: Kitces is a leading independent research and education publisher for financial advisors with subscription research and CE-adjacent content. While broader, it competes for advisor attention and CE-credit budgets and is a publishing-platform comparable to the WidowWise research library.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WidowWise