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Financial, Legal and Insurance Services

Find a diverse group of financial, legal, and insurance professionals trained specifically to cater to the needs and concerns of seniors.

Table of Contents

Financial and Insurance Assistance

Find knowledgeable and experienced professionals who can assist with financial and insurance needs, such as:

  • Assistance in managing daily household expenses
  • Reviewing insurance coverage to ensure that it’s adequate
  • Purchasing additional insurance
  • Queries about investments, and ensuring that they are yielding the appropriate kinds of returns

Especially during the aging process, it’s important to stay on top of financial health in order to prepare for any unexpected challenges: for example, unplanned health care issues, or long-term care.

Find Professionals Including:

  • Financial planners and consultants
  • Investment brokers
  • Insurance agents
  • Risk management specialists
  • Daily money managers
  • Banks and credit unions

Financial Health Assistance

When working with a financial or insurance professional, it’s valuable to consider their years of experience – and, even, to see their credentials and certifications. Many will also have reviews and testimonials online, where you can see how well they’ve served others.

A quality professional will help break things down in understandable terms. If at any point you don’t understand something, have them explain it more simply. Always be sure you understand exactly what you’re signing before putting pen to paper, and be sure to get copies of any documents you sign.

A financial planner can assist with a client’s financial health, and covers topics such as:

  • Retirement and future goals
  • Estate planning
  • Taxes
  • Investments
  • Risk management insurance
  • Cash flow and liability management
  • Educational needs of children, grandchildren, or other family members

Elder Law & Legal Services

Most experts agree that seniors should take care of legal matters while they’re mentally and physically able. Additionally, family members who need legal advice about a matter concerning a parent or other elderly relative should contact a lawyer as soon as possible to help avoid aggravation and confusion.

Though most lawyers can help with simple tasks such as preparing a will, one who specializes in elder law can better assist in more complex legal services for seniors.

How an Attorney Can Help

Due to the growing population of those 65 and older in the U.S., elder law is a fast-growing specialty practice. It covers a wide and diverse range of services that hold special interest to older adults. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Estate planning, wills, and trusts
  • Social Security
  • Preservation and transfer of assets if you or your spouse enters a nursing home
  • Supplemental and long-term health insurance issues
  • Administration and management of trusts and estates
  • Long-term care placement in nursing homes and other senior care communities
  • Elder abuse and fraud recovery cases
  • Retirement and survivor benefits
  • Medicare claims and appeals
  • Conservatorships and guardianships

Attorneys & Services Provided

A lawyer specializing in elder law should be knowledgeable of the many key issues concerning seniors today, such as housing, financial health, quality of life, healthcare, and long-term care. However, most elder law specialists focus on several key areas, and may not provide all services.

Elder law attorneys are often members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a nonprofit association of attorneys who are dedicated to improving the quality of legal services to people as they age, and to those with special needs.

Those unable to afford an attorney may be able to receive assistance through the legal aid program from a local Area Agency on Aging, or through volunteer lawyer programs of a local bar association. Some states may also offer legal assistance through their attorney general’s office.

Government Benefits & Nonprofit Agencies

There are many federal, state, and local government benefits available to seniors through special programs. These provide services such as:

  • Low-cost or free telephone
  • Healthier meals
  • Affordable housing
  • Long-term care

While some programs offer free or low-cost services to all seniors, others are criteria you must meet in order to qualify for benefits.

With so many programs out there, each with its own rules and requirements, it can be difficult and confusing to figure out which benefits you qualify for – and, if you do qualify, how to go about getting them.

Here you’ll find local businesses, consultants, and nonprofit agencies that can help you to get the government benefits you’re entitled to receive. If you’re a family member or other caregiver who wants to learn what options are available to help pay for your senior loved one’s care, you’ll find agencies here that can help with that as well.

Besides government agencies, many nonprofit organizations, churches, and other groups also provide free or low-cost services to seniors that range from free and low-cost legal assistance to help completing income tax returns.

Remember that – before disclosing private information to anyone – be sure you are working with a reputable agency, organization, or consultant. Make sure they have positive testimonials and good online reviews. Also check with the Better Business Bureau to see whether complaints have been filed against them

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

– Winston Churchill