Laurel Numbers of The Columbia Shores Group at Morgan Stanley uses her own personal experience while encouraging and helping widows through life’s major transitions

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Her official title is financial advisor at Morgan Stanley.

It is her calling, though, that makes her so distinguished in her job.

“My big ‘why’ is I really want to help people understand to see their wealth as a blessing. Not everyone does see their wealth as a blessing,” Laurel Numbers said. “It can be a blessing to themselves and to others.”

She uses the Bible to guide her when she gives advice. Noting I Timothy, the love of money is the root of all evil, but there is more in the chapter.

“God gives these gifts to enjoy. I think a lot of times people are too busy being fearful of being greedy and not realizing things as a blessing,” Numbers said.

Which is why she is highly skilled in helping her clients with charitable giving.

And that is why she concentrates in helping widows who are making a difficult transition.

“I actually felt like I was supposed to start helping widows. There’s a verse in the Bible that talks about true Christianity is taking care of widows and orphans,” Numbers said.

Yes, many of her clients do have wealth. But Numbers also helps widows who aren’t clients, who would not necessarily have the assets that would normally be associated with Morgan Stanley. One of Morgan Stanley’s tenants is to give back to the community.

“These were vulnerable women, and I needed to be helping widows of any asset level,” Numbers said. “I thought that could be my giving-back role. I found a lot of blessing and encouragement in doing that.”

Numbers became friends with many of the women she advised. It turns out, those relationships would mean more than she could ever have imagined.

In 2020, Laurel’s husband Danial suffered a massive stroke. He never recovered, and he died in 2022.

“All these clients who I had walked them through their ‘terrible, horrible, no good, very bad’ transition — quoting children’s books, sorry — they stepped up for me and were there for me,” Numbers said. “It’s intriguing and interesting how things worked out ahead of time. You think you’re helping someone else, but actually it’s going to turn around and boomerang back and end up helping you.

“These women walked me through that and were there for me,” added Numbers, who was married to Danial for 33 years. 

Going through her own ordeal gave her a new perspective. 

“I feel like I have a wealth of experience I’d rather not have, but can be helpful to other people,” Numbers said.

A cruel fact of life after the death of a spouse is the number of complicated tasks that a widow must navigate. This is true for any socio-economic group — rich, poor, or anywhere in between. And these tasks are asked of widows when they are the most vulnerable, when they are the least mentally sharp, Numbers said.

“Grief is like a blanket over your brain. You have a difficult time processing,” Numbers said. “Then you have to do things that are outside your normal wheelhouse, your area of expertise.”

The tasks can be overwhelming. Numbers said she asks her clients to prioritize, take on one or two items in a week, then go to the next tasks.

Another obstacle facing widows is all of a sudden every financial decision is theirs alone. Alone.

“For anyone who has been married for any length of time … they have always had someone to make a financial decision with,” Numbers said. 

Numbers is proud to say she has become close friends with many of her clients, including one whose adult children are about the same age as her children. The families have vacationed together, helping each other get through the transition of losing a husband and a father.

The best Financial Advisors are more than just advisors.

“We are trying to help our clients position their wealth to bless others, and to be a blessing to them,” Numbers said.

Her team members at The Columbia Shores Group at Morgan Stanley use software that guides their questions for each of their clients, to help determine the correct path for a financial journey. At Morgan Stanley, a client has a team of experts to lead the way. Numbers is one of seven professionals on her team.

“I’m the rookie of the team. I’ve been in the industry for 10 years, and I’m the baby in the industry,” she said.

Going along with her focus of helping widows, she also advises people to use their money to help others, and to help themselves.

“I encourage a lot of my clients to go out and make life experiences with people they love,” she said.

She once told a couple that was concerned about paying for an expensive trip to do so because they were doing just fine, making wise choices, and giving to charity. Why not also invest in making life long memories?

“Money is a resource that’s not just supposed to be a number or in a vault someplace,” Numbers said.

She realizes that many of her clients are not only concerned with the amount of return on their investments. 

“Their biggest question is: ‘Am I OK?’” Numbers said. “‘Is what I’m doing prudent and a wise stewardship of what I have? Do I need to make adjustments?’ I like being the person on the team that’s helping answer that question. What I find is most people who are worried about it shouldn’t be worried about it.”

Note: For more information on Laurel Numbers and her team of professionals at Morgan Stanley, go to: https://advisor.morganstanley.com/the-columbia-shores-group