Safe and Secure: 10 Essential Steps for Seniors to Protect Against Financial Abuse

by Fran Tarkenton, Rick Gossett

Overview

Thieves and scammers are on the prowl for easy targets who have significant exposed assets—and if you're a senior citizen who saved for retirement, you may be the perfect mark.

Fran Tarkenton, the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback who became a succesful entrepreneur, has partnered with certified public accountant and financial executive Rick Gossett to present this practical, up-to-date guide to scam-proofing your savings during your golden years. Safe & Secure will give you ten specific actions steps that will turn you from an “easy” target into a “hard” target. A well-prepared senior who understands the potential for financial abuse and has taken the precautions recommended in this book is more than likely to remain safe and secure through a long and comfortable retirement.

“As our country gracefully ages, we need to make sure to do all we can to protect the elderly—from their health, to their mind, to their finances. Once again, a man we all trust and respect has stepped forward and answered the call. With his simple and effective ways of explaining important concepts, legend Fran Tarkenton is doing his part to keep the elderly safe, drawing on his successful career both on and off the football field.”
—SANJAY GUPTA, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Emory University and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

“From helping us all recognize that we’re potential targets to providing easily comprehensible and implementable solutions, Fran Tarkenton and Rick Gossett have provided an extremely invaluable and indispensable resource. Elder nancial abuse will remain a major concern as our population ages. The tools presented here can help everyone be prepared and less likely to be a victim.”
—THOMAS E. PRICE, MD, former Secretary of Health and Human Services and former member of US House of Representatives

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621578178
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	01/22/2019
Pages:	100
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Fran Tarkenton is a veteran of three successful careers, first as a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, then as a television personality. Fran is proudest of the third career, his success as a businessman and entrepreneur, and spends much of his time and energy mentoring other aspiring entrepreneurs. One of his businesses, Tarkenton Financial LLC, focuses on retirement income strategies, and his work in that area has led Fran to care deeply about protection of elders as they navigate the aging process.

Rick Gossett is a certified public accountant who has used his experience as a tax practitioner and financial executive to design and develop multiple software applications, including applications that allow seniors to prepare comprehensive budgets for their retirement years and evaluate their ability to fund a secure retirement. He has direct experience as a financial caregiver and has gained significant insight from his service as an estate executor.

Table of Contents

Disclaimer 1

Introduction: The Crime of the Twenty-First Century-"Elder Financial Abuse" 7

Action Step 1 Recognize That You Are a Target 15

Action Step 2 Recognize Potential Abusers 27

Action Step 3 Admit That You Are Vulnerable (We All Are) 39

Action Step 4 Simplify Your Finances 45

Action Step 5 Make Your Finances Transparent 59

Action Step 6 Organize Your Key Financial, Medical, and Legal Documents 69

Action Step 7 Protect Your Personal Identity Information (PII) 77

Action Step 8 Create a Circle of Advisors 95

Action Step 9 Consider Naming a Financial Caregiver 103

Action Step 10 Work with a Senior-Friendly Financial Institution 117

Afterword 127

Acknowledgements 129

Endnotes 131

Index 135

Notes 139