How will you know when your elderly parents needs help managing their finances? There may be small signs along the way that everything is not as it should be. There are a few things to keep your eyes open for. If they have checks returned for insufficient funds or if they are not able to balance their checkbook, this is a sign that you may need to get involved. If they have fallen for one of the many scams that target the elderly, this may be another sign. I remember when my mother explained to me that she had to send money to each charity that sent a request so that they would stop sending the appeals in the mail. Clearly, this didn’t work and she didn’t understand why. Writing a check for an incorrect amount can also be a tipoff that they may be a problem.
Sometimes, it’s just too confusing for them to keep track of their investments. It’s confusing, no matter what age we are. I found paperwork from six different financial institutions when I got involved in my mother’s investments. It turned out, after much research, that she only had two annuities, but they had been sold off repeatedly from one financial institution to the next. Each time they were sold, a new account number was assigned. It’s little wonder that she wasn’t able to keep up with what was happening.
Many financial advisers suggest getting involved before it is necessary to take over full management of your parents finances. If you get involved early, your parents can help you to understand their income sources and expenses. They can share information about insurance policies and plans they may have made to cover the cost of long term care should it become necessary.
With your help, your parents may want to consider putting some of their transactions on auto-pilot. Social Security and pension checks can be automatically deposited to their bank account. The cost of utilities and other monthly charges from trusted sources can be put on auto pay at their bank. With auto deposit and auto-pay, you can be certain that these transactions will be handled appropriately. Since many of the elderly are not computer literate, it’s a good idea if your parents will add you to their bank accounts so that you can monitor the activity on line.
There are many opportunities for elderly with fixed incomes to save money. Information about discounts on property taxes, utility bills and health care is available from the National Council.
Should your parents become ill or incapacitated and they have added your name to their checking account, you will be able to pay their bills easily. If you have brothers and sisters, it’s advisable that just one person manage the day to day finances of the parents. It’s important that the person handling the finances communicate to the others so that everyone concerned feels comfortable about how Mom & Dad’s money is being handled.
One area where the elderly frequently need assistance is in handing the medical bills and medical insurance. Medicare insurance is usually the primary coverage. You may need to get involved if there is a secondary coverage to ensure that claims are filed and medical providers are paid by those policies. Often, they find it easier just to bill the patient after Medicare has paid the initial amount. In an effort to be responsible, many elderly just pay for medical expenses themselves, without benefiting from their secondary coverage.
Your parents worked hard for they money and they may now need help to ensure that they don’t run out of money.
Janet Smytherton has enjoyed working with the elderly for the past 20 years. Her focus is on providing our elderly with The Best Quality Assisted Living Facilities. Her Directory of Texas Assisted Living Facilities is an online resource that does not require the user to give personal information.