Financial Exploitation Newsletter – October 2021

This complimentary newsletter is an educational resource with “links” on financial exploitation & behavior that may contribute to privacy concerns/financial exploitation. DISCLAIMER: Information & links are based on sites that appear to me as legitimate, but even I can be duped. If you find a problem, please let me know immediately, so that I can get the word out. Judy Christman Yates, DPA,Criminologist,

Dirty Secrets About Annuities

When you visit your financial advisor, you trust their competency and ability to maintain and grow your hard-earned money. You rely on these investments to provide for your retirement, and every dollar counts when planning to live on a fixed income. But what if your financial advisor does not disclose that they collect a higher fee based on an annuity account you may not benefit most from? How do you know if annuities are a right fit for your portfolio? Here are the dirty secrets about annuities.

What Qualifications Should a Private Fiduciary Possess?

Download/Print Article Here   Lindsay Leonard, a California licensed private professional fiduciary, has continuously offered her services to the public for the last 10 years.  In that time, she encountered many scenarios where families struggled with their own internal dynamics during periods of rapid, cumulative changes.  Those shifting components led her clients to seek outside…

Why You Should Have an Advance Health Care Directive

Many parts of life planning require a discussion of uncomfortable topics. Drafting your advance health care directive is no exception. No one likes to talk about “end of life” preferences. However, having an advance health care directive can ensure that your preferences are carried out when you are unable to make your own health care decisions. An Advance Health Care Directive is a legal document outlining your health care choices.

Elder Preparedness Should Include Money Management Services

In many cases, when senior citizens need help in managing their money, adult children or other relative step in, but oftentimes, the children live too far away or just don’t have the time due to their own busy schedules. Whether it’s just balancing a checkbook or a monthly reminder of bills that are due, the process of elder preparedness should include money management services.

Basics of Trust Administration

To get a better grasp of the trust administration process, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of what a trust is and how it can function in the estate planning process. A trust is a legal mechanism frequently used in estate planning, not only to manage property assets during a person’s lifetime, but also to distribute assets after death. A trust can distribute estate assets to several different people or entities and also set conditions as to when and how much each beneficiary will receive.

Elder Preparedness Requires Good Recordkeeping

Care for the elderly can be quite stressful and at times completely overwhelming. A caregiver or potential caregiver can avoid a considerable amount of elder care stress by taking a proactive approach in organizing and planning for the unplanned events in life. It is very important to get all paperwork and legal papers in order while the aging person in your life is still well, if at all possible.

Trust Administration

A trust can be a valuable tool in your estate planning in the right circumstances, and is critical to carrying out your wishes when you pass away. Trusts can give you the ability to immediately transfer assets and provide for beneficiaries without the need for probate. A trust sets up a legal relationship in which property or assets of the grantor are held by the trustee for the benefit of the beneficiary.

Elder Preparedness: Entering the Unknown

If you have parents or grandparents who are in their declining years, you may begin to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of changes that are taking place in their lives. It is truly a time of entering the unknown, because none of you has likely experienced this before in the roles you now occupy. Their independence begins slipping away as simple tasks—shopping, driving, preparing meals—suddenly become unmanageable because of increasing forgetfulness or a broken hip from a fall.