A young widow and mother is advising tragedy-hit families like hers on financial survival after bereavement.

In April 2022, Louise Gladwell's husband Gary died suddenly from a hidden heart condition. He was just 35 and at home with his wife and three sons. 

The couple's son, Max, was four years old and overnight Louise became the family's main breadwinner.

At the time of his death, Gary - described as a "gentle giant" - was enjoying a successful career independent financial adviser (IFA) with wealth managers Kingsfleet based at Claydon, Ipswich, while Louise was a compliance supervisor with the same company.

Gary Gladwell with his three sons (Image: Gladwell family)

Gary had two sons from a previous relationship as well as Max. It meant that on his death there was very little in the kitty for his young bereaved family as the couple's finances were stretched.

Louise has now undergone a rigorous training programme after deciding to follow in her late husband's footsteps and become an IFA. 

The new qualification puts her on a firmer financial footing after the loss the family's main wage-earner.

She also gets the satisfaction of helping people who find themselves in a similar position to herself - facing a pile of unwanted and depressing paperwork which is sometimes referred to as "sadmin".

As well as advising clients on how to best manage their finances, she can also use the experience she gained from going through the process of losing a loved one to help them to overcome some of the barriers.

Louise counts herself lucky in the support she received thanks to her employer and from workmates following Gary's traumatic death. The devastated Kingsfleet team clubbed together to form an endowment fund called the Gary Gladwell Fund in his name.

Managing director Colin Low previously ensured his small workforce was covered by 'death in service' life insurance - meaning that Louise and Max were cushioned from the full financial impact of Gary's loss in the first years.

(Image: Lucy Taylor)

But there were many hurdles she had to face - at a time when she was struggling emotionally.

"For me in those early days you know there are lots of financial aspects you have to deal with but there's a big element of vulnerability," she explains.

"From experience it's just overwhelming having to phone people over and over again to say: 'My husband has just died.'"

Now with the knowledge she has she can help bereaved families to cope with some of the red tape burdens that follow a death. This includes a "Tell us once" government service aimed at simplifying the process.

"I can sit down with someone who's suffered a loss and get them through that and advise them what will come their way," she says.

"I didn't see myself as vulnerable then but now looking at it there was a huge amount of vulnerability. I could have easily been drawn into a stupid decision."

One client coming into the office for pensions advice following the death of her husband visibly relaxed and felt reassured once Louise told her she knew what she was going through and "that it was actually OK to be emotional in front of me", she says.

The client's husband previously dealt with the finances and she was struggling to cope with the paperwork. 

The bereavement experience is "very, very scary", says Louise.

For Louise, the realisation of the financial implications of Gary's death was huge. Her reaction was: "Oh my goodness, what am I going to do about money because Gary was the main earner. He was the financial adviser working full time," she recalls.

"I had a real sense of panic about what I was going to do to keep me and Max going."

"It was scary because we had Max and that was my worry. How do I get us to survive? But thankfully I have been sensible and carried on working. For me it was a coping mechanism and I'm one of those people who is a doer."

Gary always told his wife she would make a good financial adviser. She mentioned it to Colin - who agreed wholeheartedly and she was registered on a training course. 

"She rose to the challenge brilliantly and has delivered exactly that," says Colin.

For Louise it has given her something to focus on and work has become a "safe space" for her. "I think I can offer something - really empathise with people going through these difficult life-changing events," she says.

"I was turning something very painful into something positive and that's what we are trying to do. It was painful for Colin and for everyone at Kingsfleet when we lost Gary."

Colin has been "great" since Gary's death and has supported her through many of the issues, says Louise, who lives in Ipswich. She has also been helped through her grief by charity Widowed and Young.

Colin and Louise have spoken to Suffolk Chamber about bereavement in the workplace in order to raise employers' awareness of the issue - and the importance of spending a small amount on insurance to spare those who are hit by tragedy from even more pain.

Kingsfleet - which employs 14 people - has been enjoying a huge year for accolades with six awards. That includes two national awards from Money Age - one for Ethical Financial Service and another for Best Charity Partnership.

Next year, Louise is looking at taking the next level IFA qualification.

National Grief Awareness Week runs from December 2 to 6.

Louise Gladwell and Colin Low of Kingsfleet Wealth, Claydon  (Image: Lucy Taylor)