(Gaithersburg, MD) Delray, FL May 02, 2020: Mindy Felinton, founder of Felinton Elder Law & Estate Planning Centers, has posted a new article on her law firm’s website entitled “How Many Of The 41,155 People Who Died In The U.S. Of COVID19 Were Prepared.” Ms. Felinton’s best guess is that not many of those who died had their affairs in order. 

Mindy Felinton

Felinton writes, “While many of the 41,155 people who have died to date in the U.S. from COVID19 since early March were elderly, many of them were not.” She goes on to add, “How many of those dearly departed souls were prepared to take leave of this life, I cannot say. But, I’m willing to guess that many of them did not have wills, estate plans or any legal plans in place.” “As a result,” Felinton says, “once this pandemic dies down and the surviving loved ones are able to start sorting things out, they are more than likely going to be faced with a legal mess to untangle.”

“While life as we know it is disrupted, we don’t know exactly when we will be able to move about without being aware of social distancing again,” Felinton writes. She continues, “Until that time, caution is key. Even though you may be getting “cabin fever” or going “stir crazy” it’s better than the alternative. And while everyone is proposing all kinds of activities from learning how to play musical instruments or to speak a new language, I’d be more inclined to suggest taking steps to get legal plans filed.”

According to Felinton, “Having legal plans in place if you have minor children is integral. If you should get the virus and not recover do you know who will tend to your minor children’s needs? If you are a single parent, who will take care of your minor children? These are important decisions that must be made and it’s best to make them while you are healthy and of sound mind.”

Felinton writes, “This is also a time to focus on your elderly parents and loved ones. It’s a good time to suggest a review of their legal plans and to find out if they have designated a Financial Power of Attorney or a Health Care Power of Attorney. Many people who believe they don’t have much stuff or money, think they don’t need any legal planss. But most people have more things of value than they know.”

The entire article can be read at https://www.felintonlaw.com/how-many-of-the-41155-people-whove-died-in-the-u-s-of-covid19-were-prepared/

About Mindy Felinton

From a young age, Mindy wanted to be the voice that would make an impact in people’s lives.   She became an attorney and has practiced law for over 30 years, so that she could fulfill her desire to help others.  As a special prosecutor, Mindy defended the underdog (literally) in cases of animal abuse.  As a state attorney in Florida she fought for justice. During the last 25 years, Mindy met many wonderful people who did not know their rights, did not understand the law, and did not know what options were available. She made a decision to focus her practice on Elder Law, Medicaid, Veterans’ benefits, and Estate Planning.  Thus she is able to guide her clients through those difficult and sometimes overwhelming processes.

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Elder Care Attorney, Mindy Felinton tells readers who may not be tech or computer savvy that they can be scam savvy or more scam literate and avoid becoming victims of tech support scammers.

Delray Beach, FL. December 19, 2019: Mindy Felinton, founder of Felinton Elder Law & Estate Planning Centers, has posted a new article on her law firm’s website entitled “You May Not Be Very Tech Literate But You Can Be Very Scam Literate.” Ms. Felinton helps older adults recognize and avoid tech support scams.

Felinton writes, “Most older adults were not weaned on the computer the way younger generations are. Many though, have ventured into the tech world and have computers and email addresses.” She continues adding, “Maybe you have a Face Book, Pinterest, or Instagram account to stay in touch with the grand kids. If you’re really with it (LOL) you may even have a twitter account.” “Even so,” Felinton says, “your computer literacy skills are just not as likely to be as second nature as a native language. For those born in the Information Age computer languages are first languages.”

“Nonetheless,” says Felinton, “no matter how old you are and no matter the level of your tech skills, you can certainly be scam literate. You’ll feel pretty good when you’re able to spot a computer scam and avoid becoming a victim.” She further adds, “You might even be able to teach your friends how to avoid become tech scam victims.”

According to Felinton, “Scammers prey on older adults.” She elaborates, “Tech support scams are very popular and catch people off-guard. Scammers tend to target those people who are not part of the Information Generation. In other words, they target people over 60.”

As Felinton points out, “Tech support scammers use many different tactics to trick people.” She adds, “Spotting these tactics will help you avoid falling for the scam. For instance, tech support scammers may call and pretend to be a computer technician from a well-known company.”

The entire article can be read at https://www.felintonlaw.com/you-may-not-be-very-tech-literate-but-you-can-be-very-scam-literate/

About Mindy Felinton

From a young age, Mindy wanted to be the voice that would make an impact in people’s lives. She became an attorney and has practiced law for over 30 years, so that she could fulfill her desire to help others. As a special prosecutor, Mindy defended the underdog (literally) in cases of animal abuse. As a state attorney in Florida she fought for justice. During the last 25 years, Mindy met many wonderful people who did not know their rights, did not understand the law, and did not know what options were available.

Mindy assists families with Medicaid planning to help with the cost of nursing home care and with obtaining veteran’s benefits to make the cost of care more manageable.   She also prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and medical directives.  Mindy is passionate about educating both other professionals and the public concerning VA Aid & Attendance benefits, Medicaid benefits,  and the use of trusts for the protection of assets.  She shares her experience and professional knowledge through free workshops, and as a frequent lecturer at State Bar Conferences.

The post Helping Older Adults Avoid Tech Support Scams: Felinton Elder Law & Estate Planning Centers Founder, Mindy Felinton Turns Her Attention To This Important Subject appeared first on Felinton Elder Law and Estate Planning Centers.

Delray Beach, FL. October 15, 2019: Mindy Felinton, founder of Felinton Elder Law & Estate Planning Centers, has posted a new blog on her law firm’s website entitled “Help Parents Avoid Becoming Scam Victims.” Ms. Felinton encourages adult children caring for parents to do what they can to protect them from scammers.

Felinton writes, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are roughly “43.5 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older in the U.S.” That means there are a lot of adult children caring for their parents in this country.”

“As an elder care attorney,” says Felinton, “my practice is focused on helping aging adults prepare for their elder years, which means helping to securely protect their assets. Very often I work with the adult children caregivers.” According to Felinton, “Even if your parents aren’t forthcoming about wanting or needing your help with their financial affairs yet, they may desperately need your help to avoid being victimized by the unscrupulous scammers that routinely target the elderly.”

As Felinton points out, “With the holidays coming, scammers ramp up their efforts and target the elderly with a vengeance. There are things you can do to help protect your parents, especially those who are not digitally savvy.”

“First and foremost you can safeguard their phones,” Felinton states. She continues adding, “Make sure your parents have a voicemail system and make sure all of your parent’s family and friends phone numbers are entered into their cell phone or answering machine so that incoming callers’ names are displayed.” She then says, “Also emphasize the importance of not answering any calls if there is not a name they recognize on the screen.”

The entire blog can be read at https://www.felintonlaw.com/help-parents-avoid-becoming-scam-victims/

About Mindy Felinton

From a young age, Mindy wanted to be the voice that would make an impact in people’s lives. She became an attorney and has practiced law for over 30 years, so that she could fulfill her desire to help others. As a special prosecutor, Mindy defended the underdog (literally) in cases of animal abuse. As a state attorney in Florida she fought for justice. During the last 25 years, Mindy met many wonderful people who did not know their rights, did not understand the law, and did not know what options were available.

Mindy assists families with Medicaid planning to help with the cost of nursing home care and with obtaining veteran’s benefits to make the cost of care more manageable.   She also prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and medical directives.  Mindy is passionate about educating both other professionals and the public concerning VA Aid & Attendance benefits, Medicaid benefits,  and the use of trusts for the protection of assets.  She shares her experience and professional knowledge through free workshops, and as a frequent lecturer at State Bar Conferences.

The post Felinton Elder Law & Estate Planning Centers Founder, Mindy Felinton Helps Adult Children Caretakers Protect Parents Against Scammers appeared first on Felinton Elder Law and Estate Planning Centers.

As a caregiver for older parents, it’s important you know how to help prevent the elderly from becoming scam victims.

Among the dozens of tasks adult caregivers face is a new worry – phone scammers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are roughly 43.5 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older in the U.S. That means there are a lot of adult children caring for their parents in this country.

As an elder care attorney, my practice is focused on helping aging adults prepare for their elder years, which means helping to securely protect their assets. A part of this is educating you on how to prevent the elderly from becoming scam victims.

Very often I work with the adult children caregivers. Even if your parents aren’t forthcoming about wanting or needing your help with their financial affairs, they may desperately need your help to avoid being victimized by the unscrupulous scammers that routinely target the elderly.

Protect Your Parents From Scammers

With the holidays coming, scammers ramp up their efforts and target the elderly with a vengeance. There are things you can do to help protect your parents, especially those who are not digitally savvy.

First and foremost you can safeguard their phones. Make sure your parents have a voicemail system and make sure all of your parent’s family and friends phone numbers are entered into their cell phone or answering machine so that incoming callers’ names are displayed. Also emphasize the importance of not answering any calls if there is not a name they recognize on the screen. You can also help by keeping them informed about common scenarios scammers use on the elderly. There is one popular scam where a caller pretends to be a grandchild and asks them to send money. The caller, pretending to be a grandchild, also asks the grandparent not to tell anybody.

Credit Freezes

Another way to help is to put a credit freeze in place so that new credit cannot be opened in their names. If they are computer literate, make sure their computers are running the latest updates. Also, make sure that their wi-fi network is password protected.

Parents are not always receptive to turn over power of attorney on their finances until they are unable to take care of things themselves. But, there are so many other ways to help. You can also ask your parents if their assets are legally protected and guide them toward taking action to do so if they haven’t done so.

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