E307 End of Life Decisions for Solo Agers

<p>How do you find a trustworthy fiduciary to make end of life decisions for you if you’re a solo ager? We get these questions often from our solo ager clients and followers:</p> <p>“What provisions may be made if someone has no healthcare proxy?“</p> <p>“When there is no one to take care of you as you age and you become ill, how can you ever find a fiduciary you can trust?”</p> <p>We’ll review the problem, the lack of options, and if/when we’re able to help.</p> <h2>Solo agers’ problem</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-43515" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Solo-agers-problem-300x169.jpg" alt="Solo agers’ problem" width="300" height="169" /></p> <p>This end-of-life fiduciary problem is very similar to the executor problem, but more intimate.</p> <p>Typically, solo agers do not have the traditional spouse or adult kids to fill the role. Some solo agers don’t want to burden (or are not comfortable asking) more distant relatives or friends to fill the role. An end-of-life fiduciary is not just a money or estate administration role, but rather extremely personal medical role. This means asking someone to make important end-of-life decisions for you and even be present at your death bed.</p> <p>The bottom line is that you do NOT want a <a href= "https://anthonyspark.com/e161-court-appointed-strangers/">random court-appointed stranger</a> to fill this role. A court-appointed fiduciary wouldn’t know you or your wishes at all.</p> <h2>Not many options</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-43516" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Not-many-options-300x169.jpg" alt="Not many options" width="300" height="169" /></p> <p>With executors, you have the option of choosing <a href= "https://anthonyspark.com/professional-executor/">professional executors</a> , as well as banks, trust companies, and in some states, there are certified professional executors. There is a small, but developed industry around professional executorship. But there are far