A guide to organize their financial and online lives
When my dad passed away almost 30 years ago, my mom took over his role of family CFO. It was a daunting task, thrown at her while she was mourning the loss of her partner of 45 years.
My dad had tried to organize their affairs, but mom was not ready for the financial responsibility – and my sister and I didn’t know enough about their situation.
I hear increasingly about the challenges many of our clients face in helping their parents. In our COVID-19 world, these challenges are even more critical to solve.
My own experience, and feedback from clients, motivated us to create a guide for helping your aging parents with their finances, as well as their online lives.
I didn’t have a guide 30 years ago, so I learned the hard way.
- #1 lesson - Start early.
- #2 lesson - Open communication is critical.
Thankfully, mom welcomed the help. But that didn’t mean it was smooth sailing. My favorite story was showing her how to balance the checkbook. She was smart, so it wasn’t difficult. But she had never used a calculator, and she insisted on double-checking with a pencil and paper … made particularly difficult because her handwriting was even worse than mine.
Mom eventually got comfortable with a calculator, balancing her checkbook, and plenty of other financial tasks. When she passed away a few years ago, her affairs were organized. It took planning, communication and patience. That removed a lot of stress in a difficult time.
I wish the same for your family.
Watch our webinar - Financial and Online Help for Aging Parents and Loved Ones.