November 2021

It’s hard to believe we are starting the month of November. While last year seemed as though it would never end, this year seems to be making up for lost ground and wrapping up in half the time. Each year, however, we enter into this season with a spirit of thankfulness and sense of community as we gather with friends and family over the holiday season. For many of us, it might be the one time of the year that we get to see certain loved ones, for others, it’s a celebration of the relationships we cherish.

This year, I will be excited to celebrate the seasons with not only my immediate family, but also my parents and our grandson and many others I have not seen in a while. As seasons change, and family or friends age, it reminds me that these gatherings also present a time to talk to our loved ones about what is important to us, physically and financially. What I mean by that is: Have you taken time to talk to your trusted friend or family member about what your wishes are if something unexpected should happen to you? Are you at a stage of your life, where it might be helpful to bring along a second set of ears to your annual review meeting with Kindred Financial Partners, or even to your important doctors’ appointments?

We encourage you to have a support person. We call this person your trusted contact. It is someone in addition to your spouse that we can contact on your behalf. We might reach out to your trusted contact for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reasons include: we cannot reach you, or the last time we spoke or met, you just weren’t yourself. We do not share your personal financial information with your trusted contact, but we do let them know why we have called them and ask for their assistance.

I’ve had to reach out to a trusted contact a few times over the last few years. Most of the time it has been because I could not reach the client after repeated phone messages and emails, or even a note in the mail. In a few other instances, I have needed to reach out to a trusted contact because after speaking with the client, they just didn’t seem to be themselves. Often times, in a financial meeting, certain behaviors present themselves which could be concern for more serious matters such as dementia or elder fraud. We want someone close to know that we’re concerned about you.

Have you shared with us your trusted contact? Maybe, but not sure? We want to know who this is, so double check whose name and number we have on file at our next meeting. Let’s make sure you’re prepared.