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 Moving Forward
Taking Control - A California woman finds financial security and personal empowerment as a single parent.
Amy Yazzetta, the mother of two teenaged sons, needed to look out for their future and adjust to her newfound role as a single parent after experiencing a divorce in 2003. Though she felt unsure and unsettled, she knew the first step was to get her financial house in order. “I no longer had my husband’s benefits and retirement to rely on,” recalls Yazzetta, now 52.
Members of Yazzetta’s church, Salem Lutheran in Glendale, California, recommended that she consult with Melanie Meyer, a Thrivent Financial representative based in Burbank. Yazzetta, who manages a store and is a partner in a music-instruction company, came to Meyer with her share of funds from the settlement. She also had her own IRA, her sole source of retirement funds because her jobs do not offer a pension plan or 401(k).
Yazzetta admits that she knew very little about the financial tools and resources available to her when she met Meyer, but that quickly changed. After outlining the merits of a moderate asset allocation fund, Meyer also suggested that Yazzetta purchase life, disability income and long-term care insurance to protect her assets and provide for her sons.
Crediting Meyer for empowering her with information to make choices for her and her family, Yazzetta has been able to create a more secure financial future. “I have such confidence in her,” Yazzetta says. “I know she has my best interests at heart.”
—Holly O’Dell
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