Financial planning for solo agers

Financial planning for solo agers

Last week my husband and I joined a Zoom call with my mother and her financial advisor. It was an annual call to go over my mom’s needs and goals in the coming year. My husband and I are my mother’s partners in her financial decisions.

Up until five years before his death, my father handled their household financial affairs. It was at that time that my mother asked for some help. We chose the financial advisor my sister uses. Since then, the advisor has invested my mother’s money and managed her Required Minimum Distributions.

This is but one part of a much larger set of financial choices and actions my mother must take, but according to her, it was the one she was least equipped to handle.

As an almost 90-year-old single woman, she still has a lot of responsibilities.

For older adults, preparing for doctor’s appointments is essential

For older adults, preparing for doctor’s appointments is essential

I call January my health month because it is when I schedule my annual doctor appointments, with my primary care physician as well as the specialists I see.

One certainty is that almost all of us will have an annual wellness exam or an appointment to address a specific health concern in the coming year.

No one ever teaches us how to prepare for these appointments, but it is important if you want to get the most out of your visit. Most physicians have limited time to devote to a patient visit, so being prepared and succinct can go a long way to getting your concerns addressed.

The first place I like to start is to have a list of my supplements and medications, with dosage levels, ready to hand to the doctor or nurse.

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