Mom, Dad..You’re Getting Old

Perhaps not the best way to breach the subject of aging with your parents, but at some point the subject must come up and trying to do so artfully without offending them (because they will have no such belief that they’re getting old) can be delicate. Real Simple has some great ideas on how to broach [...]

Helping Out Mom and Dad

More often than not, my conversations with girlfriends tend to focus on our parents. The most devastating of the economy’s havoc on all of our parents has been the wiping out of retirement savings and jobs. Financial security and employer-provided health care have given way to pushing off retirement (if fortunate to still have a [...]

Looking For Ways to Cut Elder Care Costs?

Having friends currently going through this situation with their own parents makes this article all the more timely. It is difficult enough to cope with parents in failing health. It is even more difficult when you are putting the care of your parents into the hands of strangers. It is not a time when you’re thinking about getting the “best deal.” However, whether we admit it or not, finances play a major role in determining the type of care we are able to provide. Smart Money outlines 5 ways to cut costs without feeling like you’re sacrificing the care of your parents.

Parents in Crisis: Find the Right Adviser

Finding the Right Adviser is the first in a series of Smart Money articles on helping your parents through the financial crisis:  As money evaporates from their retirement savings, many parents are turning to their kids for help. SmartMoney Senior Editor Beverly Goodman, an expert on investing and personal finance, embarked on “Parents in Crisis,” [...]

What are the Medical Wishes of your Parents?

Even tougher than talking with your parents about money is talking to them about their “medical wishes.”  If they’re alert, able and active, they’ll tell you” that’s not something you need to worry about.”  And if they are currently in the midst of medical maladies, they aren’t even able to communicate them.  And if you’re [...]

Talking Money with Adult Parents

Maria Di Mento of Kiplinger writes:  Whether you’re 5 or 50, you’re always a child in your parents’ eyes. So it isn’t surprising that nearly 50% of senior citizens told a recent survey that they’ve never had a serious discussion about their financial situation with their adult children.  Even more sobering, only about one-third of [...]

New Government Nursing Home Ratings

USA Today editorializes: The nursing home industry has long had a checkered reputation, mostly for good reason. Government and reporters’ investigations have shown that some homes have been lax about meeting fire-safety regulations, with tragic consequences. Other reports have repeatedly revealed that understaffed or poorly run homes too often handle patients by restraining or overmedicating [...]

Mayo Clinic: Advance Directives and Living Wills

The issues surrounding serious illness and death aren’t easy to discuss. But it’s far easier on everyone if you have a living will and other advance directives in place before you’re faced with a serious accident or illness. If you don’t, you may find yourself in a situation in which you’re unable to communicate your [...]

Caring For Your Parents: How Power of Attorney Works

Whether you’re like the woman who’s trying to help her father age gracefully without any financial missteps or trying to ensure that your wishes are carried out if the unexpected happens to you, it’s crucial that you have two durable powers of attorney (DPOA) in place—one for healthcare and one for financial matters.   Read More.

How To Have The Money Talk with Your Parents

Have you had “the talk” with your parents yet? I’m talking about the conversation or series of conversations that will help you help them secure their financial future. Do they have enough money to see them through a long retirement? Life expectancies have gone up, way up. Unless a person has a strong genetic or [...]

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