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	<title>For Seniors Archives - Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</title>
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	<title>For Seniors Archives - Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</title>
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		<title>Important Documents You Should Have</title>
		<link>https://davidkelsey.net/important-financial-documents-you-should-have/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Kelsey]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[For Seniors]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.affordablemoneymanagement.com/?p=35</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>This may look like a daunting list. Start with ones that are most important to you and focus on them first. For disposition of your assets and to avoid unnecessarily high taxes, focus on wills, your digital legacy, and power [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/important-financial-documents-you-should-have/">Important Documents You Should Have</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This may look like a daunting list. Start with ones that are most important to you and focus on them first.</span></em></strong></p>
<p><em><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For disposition of your assets and to avoid unnecessarily high taxes, focus on wills, your digital legacy, and power of attorney.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For control of how you are treated in your final hours or days, choose a level of redundancy in the various medical forms below that will help assure your wishes are followed. Doing so now will avoid placing a potentially large burden on family members later.</span></em></p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Making sure your documents are honored</strong></span></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Documents listed in this post must be recognized by the state in which you reside in order to be honored. Some states require that you use a specific, state-sanctioned form. So be sure to confirm with your state of residence that your documents are accepted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Note this also applies to documents covering adult children going to an out-of-state school; they must be accepted by the state where the student is in school.</span></p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Specifying what happens to your assets</strong></span></span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Last Will &amp; Testament</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Approximately three in ten people aged 65 and over do not have a will. For these people the state is happy to take their money while leaving the rest of the family quite irritated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you don’t have a last will &amp; testament, create one. There are numerous free or inexpensive online applications for creating a will. Pick one that’s specifically written for your state of residence. If you have a modest estate, creating a will should not take more than a couple hours of your time. Make sure you get it properly signed and witnessed according to the laws of the state in which you live.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you feel strongly about items of sentimental or financial value you have willed to family members, put your feelings in your Will as to what you would like to see happen to them. While not legally binding, I believe it’s important that your survivors know how you feel about these items.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Review your will every year for anything that might need changing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Review all your beneficiary statements every year including IRAs. There have been some particularly nasty court battles where a person has divorced, remarried, and forgotten to change the beneficiary on his IRA. The ex-wife won, and the new wife lost.<br />
</span></p>
<h3><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Digital Estate Plan &#8211; your digital assets</span></strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Examples of digital assets include email accounts, social media accounts, e-commerce accounts, photos saved in the cloud, cryptocurrency keys, domain names, intellectual property such as text, graphic and audio files, blogs, loyalty program benefits such as credit card perks, utility accounts, online banking accounts and online store accounts. Note that a bank account is considered a digital asset, but the money in the account is not a digital asset.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The <strong>Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act</strong> (RUFADAA) allows the <em>executor of an estate or an attorney</em> access to a person&#8217;s online accounts after incapacitation or death. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Go here <a href="https://www.everplans.com/articles/state-by-state-digital-estate-planning-laws">https://www.everplans.com/articles/state-by-state-digital-estate-planning-laws</a> to determine <em>whether </em>your state supports RUFADAA and, if so, <em>how </em>they support it. Note that some states do not yet support the act, and other states that do support it may differ in how they support it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A <strong>Digital Estate Plan</strong> enables <em>your family</em> to access your digital assets after your death. To create a plan:<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Take an inventory of your digital assets with account names, usernames, and passwords.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Decide if you want the named executor of your estate to also have the responsibilities of your digital executor. Clearly state in your will whether the same person will have both responsibilities or whether you will name one person as executor and a different person as digital executor. Some people choose to name a family member or friend as their digital executor.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Decide how you want your digital assets handled. <em>Be specific about your intent for each asset.</em> Note that some digital service providers like Google and Meta have specific policies and procedures that determine how these assets are handled; if you have assets with providers you need to understand the policies of these providers and make sure you do not leave instructions that are contrary to these policies. If you have digital assets that generate income, you need to think about what happens to these assets &#8211; whether they are terminated upon your death or whether you intend for them to be managed by someone who would be named in your estate plan.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Put all your plan documents in a safe space that is accessible by your digital executor.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Power of attorney</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This allows you to empower someone else to act on your behalf for legal and financial decisions. Templates for power of attorney documents are likely to be found on your state’s web site.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A <em>durable</em> power of attorney is effective immediately upon signing. A <em>springing</em> power of attorney goes into effect upon a stipulated event usually related to mental incapacity or other disability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A power of attorney can be useful for adult children who go off to college and are faced with unforeseen events such as car accidents or illnesses that leave them temporarily unable to make financial decisions or to carry out financial transactions while they are recovering.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>Be aware that power of attorney documents are being increasingly scrutinized by institutions such as large banks. If you already have these documents, call your bank or other named institutions to determine whether they will honor them as is. You may find they will <strong>not</strong> unless they are the institution’s owned forms.</em></span></p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Your right to determine how you are treated</strong></span></span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Healthcare power of attorney/health care proxy</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This gives an individual authority to make decisions about your medical treatment should you become unable to do so. Templates for healthcare power of attorney documents are likely to be found on your state’s web site.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>Choose this individual carefully and put him or her in your phone contact list under ICE – In Case of Emergency</em>. Some parents elect to have this for adult children who leave home and go off to college, especially colleges far from home. Their thinking is based on the increasing prevalence of mental health issues for college students.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you have an existing healthcare power of attorney document and your marital status changes – you marry or divorce &#8211; consider creating a new document. State laws are inconsistent; it’s better to be safe than sorry later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you name different individuals for power of attorney (for legal and financial matters) and power of attorney for healthcare, make sure these individuals are known to each other and are likely to effectively work together.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>POLST &#8211; Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A POLST complements a living will. It typically includes directions about life-sustaining measures such as CPR, intubation, antibiotic use, and feeding tubes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You fill this out with your doctor. When the doctor signs it, it becomes a physician&#8217;s standing order as part of your medical record. That means medical professionals are required to follow it<strong><em> – for the most part &#8211; </em></strong>provided it has been made known to them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Check with state laws. You can get further information here: <a href="http://polst.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLST</a>.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>DNR/DNI Orders</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These orders are problematic both for patients and for the personnel and facilities that treat them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do Not Resuscitate and Do Not Intubate procedures are done<strong><em> without anyone&#8217;s permission. </em></strong>EMT and other emergency care personnel do not need permission to use any life-sustaining treatment they may deem necessary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Whether DNR/DNI orders are followed is subject to variance from state to state and from country to country. And they may be modified or even ignored depending on the circumstances.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For example, it is legal for a hospital to ask you to sign a form stipulating that the facility can temporarily suspend your properly executed DNR orders. Why would they do that? Adverse events in anesthesia and temporary cardiac abnormalities can be quickly corrected, and these events could be unrelated to the underlying condition for which you’re being treated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you do <em>not</em> have a POLST and a living will, you or someone accompanying you should ask the facility whether they will honor your DNR order prior to your surgery or treatment. Be willing to negotiate if you are capable of doing so. Should you be willing to sign such a form, modify the document with any changes you desire before signing it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you <em>do</em> have a living will and a POLST, you will have specified in clear terms what you find acceptable and unacceptable in a variety of circumstances. You may decide a separate DNR/DNI order is not necessary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Try imagining a range of circumstances from an EMT person knocking on your front door, to getting prepped for a difficult surgery at age 85. Remember that whatever you have written in a living will, a POLST, or a DNR/DNI order must be communicated somehow to the care givers in a timely manner for the order to be followed.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Living will</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This document states your predetermined wishes regarding end-of-life care should you become terminally ill or permanently unconscious. This minimizes the possibility adult children, spouse or partner, or close friends are put in a position to argue over how you want to be treated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Check with the state in which you reside for templates for living wills. And include a POLST document if the living will template does not include one.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Make sure your care providers and family members have copies of your living will. Have in-person discussions with some or all of them. Make sure all family members have a common understanding regarding your wishes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You should choose a level of redundancy that you believe will most likely assure your wishes are followed. You can also look into <a href="http://www.fivewishes.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>www.fivewishes.org</strong></a><strong>., </strong>an organization that addresses end of life issues.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>If you have a healthcare power of attorney, a living will, a POLST document, and a DNR/DNI order, take the time to make sure they do not contain anything contradictory. Your primary care physician should be able to explain and help you work through these options.</em></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>HIPPA release</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This allows your medical providers to share and discuss medical information regarding your medical information and treatment should you be become incapacitated. Without this release, it’s possible your family may not be able to get needed information on your condition and treatment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Make sure any HIPPA release you sign is effective immediately; some stipulate they become effective only when you are incapacitated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">HIPPA releases can be especially important for adult children when they go off to college. It can be extremely difficult to get health information from an institute of higher learning unless your child has filled out a blanket HIPPA agreement stating you (a parent) are authorized to get medical information on your child.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Even though HIPAA is a federal statute, some states have state laws that cover medical privacy issues which may take precedence over other HIPAA laws.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/important-financial-documents-you-should-have/">Important Documents You Should Have</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
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		<title>Personal Affairs Organizer</title>
		<link>https://davidkelsey.net/personal-affairs-organizer/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Kelsey]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[For Seniors]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://affordablemoneymanagement.com/?p=3963</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I don&#8217;t know anyone who has gone through a list as comprehensive as what follows. Looking it over makes one realize the many details of our lives we take for granted and give very little if any thought to. But [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/personal-affairs-organizer/">Personal Affairs Organizer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I don&#8217;t know anyone who has gone through a list as comprehensive as what follows. Looking it over makes one realize the many details of our lives we take for granted and give very little if any thought to. But organizing your affairs as a way to make it easier for those who survive you is an admirable goal. If you are a person who is highly organized and who has the time and patience to deal with considerable detail, I recommend “<em><strong>Get It Together</strong></em>”, by Melanie Cullen. It’s comprehensive and well over 200 pages.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For those who want a less comprehensive approach, here is a checklist to get you started. <em>Choose the ones that you consider high priority to meet your own needs and the needs of the people who survive you. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.</em></span></p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Checklist </strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>A list with yourself and all family members using full legal names.  </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Military dates of service. </strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Your last wishes.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Organ or body donation</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Burial or cremation</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Funeral and memorial services.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These can be addressed in a variety of different <a href="https://affordablemoneymanagement.com/important-financial-documents-you-should-have/">documents</a>.<strong><br />
</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>A list of everyone and everything for whom you provide care.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Children</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Adults</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>A list of people and organizations for whom you provide service.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Business clients</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Volunteer organizations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Businesses in which you have some level of ownership.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you are the only employee in a business wholly owned and run by you, make sure you have a succession plan stating whether it will be sold or dissolved, or stating that a specific named person will take it over.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>People with whom you have ongoing relationships.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Attorneys</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">CPAs or other tax preparers</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Financial planners and investment advisers</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Doctors – primary care and specialists</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dentists</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pharmacists</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ophthalmologists and optometrists</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">House-related maintenance people</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Vehicle-related maintenance people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Memberships.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This covers a wide variety of organizations. Some of these may have benefits for survivors.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Last Will &amp; Testament, signed and properly witnessed.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Financial information.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Credit and debit card statements</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Banking statements</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Automatic bill paying by your bank or by credit card</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Investments</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Income producing instruments such as annuities and rental housing</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Debts owed <em>by</em> you and owed <em>to</em> you.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Insurance policies.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Life</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Health</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Disability</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Long term care</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Home</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Car.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Taxes.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Latest tax return</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Latest property tax statement</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Business tax return.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>A list of charities you regularly donate to along with your wishes as to which ones you would like to see donations continued.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Your digital life</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Digital account numbers, userids, and passwords.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you use a password manager such as Dashlane, make sure someone has the master password!<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Paid subscriptions.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Digital</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hardcopy.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Digital accounts such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and YouTube.</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These and many other online accounts have their own policies governing what happens to them when the account holder dies. And these policies tend to change over time. You should check with these companies to get their latest policies. Your wishes for the disposition of these accounts can be addressed in a Last Will and Testament.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Originals or copies of:</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Birth certificate</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Adoption records</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Baptismal records</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marriage certificates</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Military records</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Divorce/annulment/legal separation documents</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Citizenship documents</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Social Security card</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Car title</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Property deed</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Passport</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Driver’s license</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Credit cards</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Debit cards</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Warranty records.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Locations of all the above information <em>including instructions on how to access them.</em></strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A waterproof and fire-resistant home safe is a good choice. If you have one, make sure it is securely bolted to the floor or any other place in the house that makes it very difficult to move. If it’s digital, change the batteries at least once a year, and make sure a family member has the combination.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you have a safe deposit box, make sure you know who can get access after you die. This varies according to state law. You don’t want your survivors to be forced to get a court order to open your safe deposit box.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Make sure someone has the alarm code for your house. If you live in a gated community, someone needs to be given the gate code.</span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/personal-affairs-organizer/">Personal Affairs Organizer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
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		<title>Cognitive Impairment</title>
		<link>https://davidkelsey.net/cognitive-impairment/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Kelsey]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[For Seniors]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://box5463.temp.domains/~davidkh2/?p=4113</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Family Caregiver Alliance estimates that more than 16 million people in the US are living with cognitive impairment. This is challenging for them as well as for the financial advisers who strive to act in their best interests. Here [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/cognitive-impairment/">Cognitive Impairment</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.caregiver.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Family Caregiver Alliance</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> estimates that more than 16 million people in the US are living with cognitive impairment. This is challenging for them as well as for the financial advisers who strive to act in their best interests. Here are some guidelines and suggestions intended to help clients and their advisers as well as family members.<br />
</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>What is mild cognitive impairment?</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mild cognitive impairment is a cluster of symptoms that describes changes in how you think and process information. It is not an illness.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Someone struggling with cognitive impairment may have difficulty remembering, concentrating, learning new things and, in general, making decisions that affect their life. You may recognize that you’re having trouble, but you are still able to carry on most of your usual daily activities while living independently.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Some of these difficulties may relate to health issues: dietary deficiencies; medication side effects; metabolic imbalances (abnormalities in a person’s blood chemistry;) hormonal imbalances (like thyroid;) psychiatric disorders including clinical depression, anxiety, and paranoia; neural physical damage from strokes and other traumas; and substance abuse.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>What are common signs of cognitive impairment?</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Increasing memory lapses or memory loss. You forget things more often, including important appointments and social engagements.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Frequently asking the same questions over and over again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Losing your train of thought following conversations, reading a book, or watching a movie.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not recognizing familiar people and places. You begin to have trouble finding your way around familiar environments. You may become confused about time, people, and places.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks. You feel increasingly overwhelmed having to make decisions or working out steps to accomplish a task. As a result, you may put off making decisions that need to be made in a timely fashion.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Being victimized in financial scams. This is an increasingly serious problem that is significantly underreported as the victims are ashamed of what has occurred. You do not have to be impaired to be a victim of financial fraud.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Your family and friends notice “out of character” changes in your moods or behavior. These could include depression, irritability, anxiety, or apathy. Sudden outbursts of anger, damaging impulsive behavior, atypical (for you) risk taking, and other behaviors suggesting questionable judgment may be increasing in frequency.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>How can I tell the difference between normal aging and mild cognitive impairment?</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On your own, without an objective external point of reference, you probably can’t tell the difference. Here are some examples of “normal” aging:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Occasionally forgetting an appointment that is not high on your importance list.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Forgetting where you left your glasses or car keys, or where you parked.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Walking into a room and forgetting why you entered the room.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Driving somewhere you don’t regularly go and requiring a minute to remind yourself of how to get there.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Running into someone you have not seen in a long time and not being able to quickly recall their name.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>If I, my friends or my family, suspect I may be suffering from the beginnings of mild cognitive impairment, what should I do?</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><em>First, strongly resist the urge to do nothing.</em></strong> On the positive side, roughly half of people who are diagnosed with MCI do not experience further decline. But if you are destined to be in the other half, it is better to know that now than later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><strong>Second, go to your primary physician and discuss your concerns.</strong></em> Do not be misled into thinking you can determine, on your own, whether you are suffering from MCI. Like gradual hearing loss, we are generally unaware of small changes over time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There is no single, specific test to definitively indicate the presence of MCI. A thorough evaluation would include a review of medical history and all current prescriptions, a physical examination, lab tests, neuropsychological and memory tests, and input from close friends and family members.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A referral to a specialist such as an eldercare consultant, if needed, can be provided, for follow-up. If you are determined to be at risk for progression to dementia, a far more serious form of cognitive impairment, it will allow the family time to assess how to plan for that future.</span></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/cognitive-impairment/">Cognitive Impairment</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
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		<title>Life Lessons and Legacies</title>
		<link>https://davidkelsey.net/life-lessons-and-legacies/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Kelsey]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 15:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[For Seniors]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://affordablemoneymanagement.com/?p=3970</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Ethical wills are a way to share your beliefs, values, achievements, blessings, advice, and life lessons with your family and friends. When I first read about composing an ethical will it struck me as more than a bit presumptuous – [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/life-lessons-and-legacies/">Life Lessons and Legacies</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn UiGGAb" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><em><strong>Ethical wills</strong></em> are a way to share your beliefs, values, achievements, blessings, advice, and life lessons with your family and friends. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When I first read about composing an ethical will it struck me as more than a bit presumptuous – why would anyone ever want to read it? Put more bluntly, who would ever care?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I got past that objection by realizing that I, for one, would have wanted to read such a document from a deceased family member. So here is mine. It covers all three Phases of my life. If the idea appeals to you, why not write one of your own?<br />
</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Life Lessons and Legacies – David Kelsey, age 78, January 2026<br />
</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Life and its meaning</strong>. Because I was always interested in philosophy, I spent hours in my younger years obsessing over “the meaning of life”. Then I read a book that made a profound impression on me: Viktor Frankl’s <em>Man’s Search for Meaning</em>. He was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp where he witnessed fellow inmates, including several family members, die in the most horrible circumstances. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>He wrote that the Nazis could take everything from him except for one priceless thing, and that was his ability to choose what attitude he would take about what was happening to him and to those around him</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If, under those terrible conditions he could hang on to that, then I reasoned I could too. I think of his attitude as something profoundly human that can be threatened, but never destroyed. I’ve tried always to remember that when bad things happen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Death and its meaning</strong>. Some people fear death because they think of it as nonexistence. Regardless of whether you believe in an afterlife, I suggest there are better ways to think about this. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Take a few minutes and think of all the things you leave behind for others: experiences, memories, stories, letters, and pictures, to name only a few.  <em>T</em><em>ry writing what is sometimes called a &#8220;reverse obituary&#8221; &#8211;  write out what you would wish to read in your obituary, then ask whether or not you&#8217;re living up to this. You will probably focus more on ethical virtues than resume accomplishments.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Consider that we are gone, but our past existence, in some form or other, lives on. Morrie Schwartz, in the final months of his life, is quoted in Mitch Albom&#8217;s book <em>Tuesdays with Morrie: &#8220;</em>Death ends a life, not a relationship<em>&#8220;.</em></span></span><br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Documents like ethical wills and reverse obituariescan be of real value in this process.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Religion and its meaning</strong>. I’ve never belonged to an organized religion and I’m unlikely ever to join one. That does not mean I reject the idea that we’re part of something “larger”. Nor does it mean I believe that children should not be exposed to religious concepts. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I support any religion that encourages independent thinking in the search for truth along with promoting values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, accountability, trustworthiness, and equal treatment for all.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have serious issues with people who are convinced their beliefs are the only possible “right” beliefs, especially fundamentalists on one end and atheists on the other. Fundamentalists ought to examine their beliefs in light of whether they promote good will to all. And atheists ought to read about current theories popular in quantum physics and then ask themselves whether these theories are any more or less believable than the idea of the possibility there exists something “greater” than ourselves.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Family.</strong> The importance of family and the need for love and support within families cannot be overstated. While this may sound trite to some, it’s not, especially for those who don’t have it. Look around for examples and you’ll find truth everywhere in this statement. My understanding of this has deepened with age.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To children – your parents should not be used as an excuse for your own shortcomings. Take the best from them and discard the rest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To parents – To “honor your parents” is an admirable goal. Unfortunately, we do not always live up to that goal.We should do better while we still have the opportunity.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Until I moved away, married, had children, divorced, remarried, and had grandchildren and great grandchildren did I ever consider the effects moving away had on my parents. If I had, I would have devoted more time and effort to keep in touch with them. Of the few regrets in my life, this one is at the top of my list; it’s a regret that cannot be remedied.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Passion and beauty</strong>. Find something, or someone, in your life to feel passionate about. And always be on the lookout for artistic beauty. <em>Passion </em>will provide you with an inner energy to empower you in the difficult times we all endure in our lives. One of my passions is classical music, both performing it and listening to it. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>Beauty</em> will remind you that such a thing exists – you have only to look for and recognize it – especially in times when ugliness and chaos seem to be all around us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Work. </strong>How do you view what you do on a regular basis: a job, a career, or perhaps a calling? How does your answer to this question affect your life, both short term and long term? These do not have to be mutually exclusive  as you may be able to turn one into the other (for example, a job into a career). Sometimes it helps to take a step back and ask yourself where you are, where you&#8217;re headed, and where you want to end up.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Careers. </strong>I’ve had three: corporate America, music, and investment management. The first had its financial benefits, but they came at a cost I had neither anticipated in the beginning nor fully realized until later. The second was a major focus in Phase 2 of my life. The third is active, challenging, and rewarding.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Goals</strong>. Lifetime goals can be summarized  into four categories: work and achievement, relationships and intimacy, spirituality (including religion), and what Robert Emmons called generativity &#8211; leaving a legacy and thereby contributing something to society. We owe it to ourselves and to the important people in our lives to consider how we rank these in terms of importance in our own lives, not once, but continously throughout our lives. Being aware of how these rankings change over our lifetimes is the first step in adjusting them as desired.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Goals can have a dark side &#8211; be aware that setting goals for yourself can be both very useful and potentially very destructive. Some goals are OK when set as &#8220;pass/fail&#8221; &#8211; setting aside 5% of your salary and putting it into savings or towards retirement. These goals are measurable. If you occasionally fall short of meeting them you can simply ask yourself why that happened, and either try to meet them next time or change the goals as being too high and unrealistic or too low and not ambitious enough.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bucket lists &#8211; I&#8217;m not a fan. For me, they turn into &#8220;I did this&#8221; or &#8220;I saw this&#8221;, eventually becoming boring to both doer and listener. Bucket lists can also be effective distractions, keeping you from thinking about alternatives to the time, energy, and money spent on them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><strong>Other goals such as strengthening the relationships in your life</strong><strong> should never be &#8220;pass/fail&#8221;</strong></em>. These goals should be set in ways that will allow you to step back and think about what you have learned, and are learning, along the way. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Accomplishments.</strong> I’ve always valued my own accomplishments and those of family members. But it’s easy to focus on personal accomplishments throughout your life and forget that to do so you may be assigning lower priorities elsewhere that may be, or should be, of equal or even greater importance. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For most of us, accomplishments accompany us to the grave while what we pass on to others lives on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Competence. </strong>Striving to achieve a level of competence is fine as long as you don&#8217;t go past the point where you no longer get any fullfilment from striving for it. The idea that you have to be competent at everything you do will, at some point, bring you a lot of unhappines. And regardless of the media nonsense you likely have been bombarded with, you can&#8217;t give 110% to anything. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Success</strong>. Success is transitory &#8211; one success leads to imagining what the next one might be. And if you tend to view everything you do in terms of success and failure, you&#8217;re creating an exhausting competition with two competitors combined into one individual &#8211; you. One of you is always going to lose. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Failure</strong>. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes; embrace failure and learn from it. <em><strong>You will learn a whole lot more from your failures than you will from your successes</strong>.</em> When I was young, I wanted to be a concert pianist. I was good, but not good enough to make a sustainable career with it. Coming to terms with that was a great stress reliever.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This applies to children as well. Children learn from failures and they learn from dealing with adversity. Encourage them, love them, and keep them safe, but let them learn, cope, and grow. And be skeptical of whatever the current crowd of &#8220;experts&#8221; is spouting when it comes to raising children.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Quitting. </strong>Annie Duke&#8217;s book <em>Quit, The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away, (2022) </em>is instructive. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">&#8220;When we quit, we fear two things: that we&#8217;ve failed and that we&#8217;ve wasted our time, effort, or money.&#8221; These two fears have the potential to limit your future at best, and destroy it at worst. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How many times have you ever observed a person, a business, an institution, or a government &#8220;double down&#8221; when pursuing an obviously losing course of action?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Consider your personal understanding of the word &#8220;quitting&#8221;. Walking off a soccer field in disgust because your team is losing is quitting; reimaging &#8220;quitting&#8221; as stopping doing one thing so that you can start doing another is a very different way of thinking about it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Predictions.</strong> Many of us presume we have a a fairly good idea of what our lives will be like 10 years in the future. Some spend many hours planning and building their &#8220;dream house&#8221; thinking they will live out their lives in it. Not likely. Studies have shown repeatedly and conclusively that <strong><em>we are not good about making such predictions</em>.</strong> If you&#8217;re skeptical, ask yourself if ten or twenty years ago you could have accurately predicted where you are right now. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, does this mean planning in general is of limited value?</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Absolutely not. What it means is that you will change over the years, and when important decisions are being made in the present, one should always consider what it would take to undo them later.</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Decision follies</strong></span>. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the extreme, there are two types of people when it comes to making decisions: maximizers, and satisficers. <strong><em>Maximizers</em></strong> spend much time and many hours of effort carefully defining and evaluating all the possibilities before making a decision. <strong><em>Satisficers</em></strong> begin by evaluating the choices but stop looking as soon they come upon one that is &#8220;good enough&#8221;. Curiously, based on psychological studies, maximizers are later less satisifed with the decisions they made. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Neither of these is inherently bad. Not knowing which you tend to be could be a problem. Have you ever known someone who will spend hours shopping online for a particular item trying to save one dollar who think nothing of choosing the first car they like the look of on the new car dealers lot? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Humor.</strong> “Cheer up – things could be worse. So I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse.” This kind of wry humor has always appealed to me. I value this brand of humor as a way to help one navigate through trying times.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Giving advice. </strong>No matter how well intentioned, be reluctant to give unsolicited advice. Even if people ask for advice, they usually don&#8217;t really want it &#8211; they only want you to agree with what they&#8217;re already thinking or have already decided. If you think someone <em>really</em> wants your advice, ask them first if you have their permission to give it to them.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You can also try serving as a model in thoughts and actions and let other people come to their own conclusions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Gratitude.</strong> If you wake up in the morning and don’t feel grateful to be alive, and grateful for the people in your life, think about finding ways to make it so, regardless of your age. I cannot overstate my belief in this.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The frequently annoying need to be “right”.</strong> This seems to be a disease of: youth, scientists determined to protect, at any cost, their work from challenges, non-scientists who mistakenly believe they understand science, and people who are incapable of holding two conflicting ideas in their heads at the same time.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As I get older I’m dismayed that other people seem to get more and more narrow-minded and adamant they are “right” in their beliefs. This is sad especially given the amount of both misinformation and disinformation we are bombarded with on a daily basis in the &#8220;information age&#8221;.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I seem to be certain about less and less the older I get about things that don&#8217;t count for very much. Always allow for the possibility that you may be mistaken. You may find that as a result you subsequently become less judgmental when considering your own shortcomings and the shortcomings of others.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Letting go. </strong>Once you have determined there is nothing you can do about something over which you have no control or influence, <strong><em>stop fussing over it</em>. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If, after giving a complex problem a lot of thought and making a decision that subsequently did not turn out well, <strong><em>neither you nor your decision is at fault</em>.</strong> Have faith in your decision processes and accept the result. <em><strong>Worrying about things over which you have no control and blaming yourself for poor outcomes reached in good faith is emotionally destructive</strong>.</em> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Achieving balance. </strong>In my younger years success and accomplishments were high on my list of priorities. Now that I&#8217;m older, the importance of family, serving others, realizing and accepting that relationships matter, and living in the present have become more important. So, on occasion, take a minute or two and ask yourself &#8220;<strong>What really matters?</strong>&#8221; And respond accordingly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Retaining a sense of purpose.</strong> Try this: do something for yourself every day, do something for someone else every day without being asked, and try hard not to leave others worse off than the way you found them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Never relinquish your right to be skeptical. </strong>Especially when written sources are presented as &#8220;well established fact&#8221; or people are presented as &#8220;experts&#8221;. Learning how to ask the right questions is a formidable skill that will serve you well throughout your life. I have always assigned more credibility to physicians who have told me that either they or the medical industry as a whole simply do not know all the answers than doctors who spout industry guidelines with no further explanation or justification.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Aging. </strong>At age 78, well into Phase 3, I&#8217;m seeing these challenges:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Being too quick to make commitments you may be sorry for later. &#8220;Freedom&#8221; tends to be overlooked until you lose it. Think twice, act once.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Undervaluing &#8220;simplicity&#8221; and overvaluing &#8220;complexity&#8221;&#8216;.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reminding yourself that you have skills, and finding ways to share them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Accepting there are things you could once do that you no longer can do.</span></p>
<p>Separating health challenges into ones you can do something about, and those which you can do nothing about.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Balancing living in the present and planning for your future. This is way more challenging than it sounds.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Giving back</strong>. Whether giving to a charity or doing something with more personal involvement such as mentoring, find ways to give back. We sometimes spend our working lives striving for recognition and financial rewards; it’s gratifying how much can be accomplished by doing things without regard to who gets the credit.<strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Legacies</strong>. In the literature on aging and ethical wills it’s popular to ask what sort of legacy you would like to leave. I think it’s a poor question as the answer will ultimately be determined by the people you leave behind, not by what you would like the answer to be. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A better question is the one addressed in Frank Capra&#8217;s movie <em>It’s a Wonderful Life:</em> Would the world have been a better or worse place had I never been born?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>When it’s finally over</strong>. Perhaps the best way to end this post is to ask, <em>“What will I miss when I’m gone?”</em>  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Answering that question might lend insight to what you can do right now.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Updates</strong>. Last update: November 20, 2025. This post will be updated periodically until there is no more need &#8211; or ability &#8211; to do so, whichever comes first.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://davidkelsey.net/life-lessons-and-legacies/">Life Lessons and Legacies</a> appeared first on <a href="https://davidkelsey.net">Thoughts On Mastering The Three Phases of Life</a>.</p>
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