# WidowGuide (widowguide.com) > Guides for widowed people who are thinking about dating, and for the people dating them, written by Elena, who works at SeniorMatch. Research is cited by author, year and journal; community quotes carry their subreddit and month; service facts were read inside a SeniorMatch account and copied from seniormatchreview.com with their check date. > > We earn a commission when you register through our links; this site is not SeniorMatch itself, and registration and billing happen on seniormatch.com. Key facts (checked 19 September 2026): in Schneider's 1996 San Diego study of 249 widows and 101 widowers, 61 percent of men and 19 percent of women had a new romance or had remarried by 25 months; people 60 and older reported $2.4 billion in fraud losses to the FTC in 2024; SeniorMatch's Widowed search filter sits on its Premium tier, one month costs $33.99, and a free member can reply but cannot start a conversation. Sitemap: https://widowguide.com/sitemap.xml ## Start here - [Widowed and thinking about dating? Start here](https://widowguide.com/): Three situations answered directly: widowed less than a year, a year or two on, and dating someone who is widowed. What the research says about timing, what widowed people say, and a list of every guide on the site. ## If you are widowed - [Widow dating: when it is time, dating a widower, where to meet people](https://widowguide.com/widow-dating/): Readiness and timing from Carr 2004 and the dual process model, guilt and continuing bonds, a script for telling adult children, where widows meet people, the scams that target widows, and which services have a Widowed filter. - [Widow dating a widower: what happens when you are both widowed](https://widowguide.com/widow-dating-a-widower/): Why two widowed people skip the grief explanation and hit the pace mismatch instead: Schneider's 61% vs 19% timing gap, two houses of furniture, four hard dates on the calendar, adult children, Social Security after 60, and where widows meet widowers. - [Dating after the death of a spouse: how soon is too soon, and what the research says](https://widowguide.com/dating-after-death-of-spouse/): Timing with numbers from Carr 2004 and Schneider 1996, the dual process model for wanting company one day and grieving the next, guilt, family, remarriage rates, when to seek professional support, and what widowed people say. - [Dating after 50 when you are widowed: a practical first week](https://widowguide.com/blog/dating-after-50-widow-guide/): A first week in seven steps, with a real profile example, message examples, and a first-meeting checklist. ## If you are dating someone widowed - [Dating a widower and feeling second best: the signs](https://widowguide.com/dating-a-widower-feeling-second-best/): One table for three cases: ordinary grief, he is not ready, or it is unfair to you. The ring, the photos, anniversaries, and when to say it once. - [Dating a widower red flags: ordinary grief, not ready, or a scammer](https://widowguide.com/dating-a-widower-red-flags/): How to tell ordinary widowhood from a man looking for a housekeeper or a fake widower working an obituary scam: AARP's 90-day rule, Davidson's age-and-health finding, grown daughters (Carr and Boerner 2013), and FBI IC3 romance scam tells. - [How to date a widower: the ring, the photos, his children, and when to walk away](https://widowguide.com/how-to-date-a-widower/): Scene by scene: the wedding ring, photos still up, his late wife's family, adult children, being compared, anniversaries, not being called his girlfriend, how long widowers usually wait, and when to leave. - [How to date a widow: her house, her money, her children, and what she is comparing](https://widowguide.com/how-to-date-a-widow/): The house and the side of the bed, her financial security and the Social Security survivor rule on remarrying before 60, adult children's questions, intimacy, the scams that target widows, and what widows say. ## By age - [Dating after 60 when you are widowed: work, adult children, money, health, and where to look](https://widowguide.com/dating-after-60/): What is different in your sixties: still working, adult children and grandchildren, health disclosure, money and remarrying or living together, sex and the body, which services skew to this age, an example profile and opening questions. - [Benefits of dating after 70 and widowed: pros, cons, and what changes](https://widowguide.com/dating-after-70/): Pros and cons of dating after 70 when you are widowed: why remarrying at 60 or older leaves Social Security survivor benefits intact, why many couples keep two houses, and what changes around adult children, health, and driving after dark. ## Choosing a service - [Widow dating sites compared (2026): which are free, who runs them](https://widowguide.com/widow-dating-sites/): Twelve widow and widower sites with a dated status check, who runs them, white-label networks, what free includes, SeniorMatch and sister-site facts read inside accounts, the Widowed filter, and app ratings. - [Widower dating sites compared (2026): which are live, what they cost](https://widowguide.com/widower-dating-sites/): A dated check of 12 widower and widow dating sites plus six general 50+ services: HTTP status, operator, login network, what free includes, prices seen inside two accounts, app ratings, and a Widowed filter check. ## Safety and companionship - [Romance scams after loss: how widowed people are targeted and what to do first](https://widowguide.com/blog/romance-scam-protection-guide/): FBI IC3 2024 losses for people over 60, the obituary pattern, what widowed people on r/widowers describe, the order to report in, and one reusable sentence that ends the conversation. - [Travel companions after loss: how to find company without booking a stranger](https://widowguide.com/blog/travel-companions-after-loss/): Road Scholar and solo group travel, the rules for traveling with someone new, and keeping money separate. ## About this site - [About WidowGuide](https://widowguide.com/about/): Who writes the site, how it is connected to SeniorMatch, the commission we earn on registrations, what the research and the quotes are, and how to send a correction. - [Notes](https://widowguide.com/blog/): Three shorter pieces: a first week, romance scams after loss, and travel companions. - [Privacy](https://widowguide.com/privacy/): What this site records with Google Analytics, what the outbound click event contains, and what happens once you leave for seniormatch.com.