The Difference Reader Profile: Shirley
![Shirley, an early reader of The Difference Shirley, an early reader of The Difference](https://static.oprah.com/images/200904/oradio/20090414-oradio-the-difference-shirley-290x218.jpg)
Name: Shirley
Occupation: Retired, formally an artist and in sales
Personal life: 70 years old, widowed
Biggest financial concerns: To survive on my own, both in health and financially. When I turned 69 in the fall of 2007, I thought things were going to get rough. I knew my beloved husband was getting to a place where he was not going to be alive much longer. Because of negative financial investments 10 years before, we were already financially strapped, living on a very limited income from his years in sales. Living in a rental, we were already living close to the bone, even with the minimal income he was able to work for. So, we had planned what to do and how I should proceed. Well, was I surprised when I thought it was outlined and would be difficult at best—but it was even worse than I had ever imagined.
The day after he died, the reality began. All of his income stopped and I was left with a very small savings account and an outgo twice as much as what the social security I was going to receive would handle. So I had to move very fast. I searched out housing for myself. Even a small rental was way out of my reach, and then I remembered that mobile housing could be a choice. Being very blessed, I was so fortunate to find a needy fixer-upper in a nice mobile home park for seniors. It took every bit of money I had, plus I had to borrow to get moved into this new home. I left everything I knew in our happy home and neighborhood, moving while still numb from my losses—both of my dear partner and all income.
The information provided here is general advice and you should always consult your own financial adviser before making major financial decisions, including investments or changes to your portfolio. The opinions expressed by the hosts, guests and callers to Oprah Radio are strictly their own.