When Aunt Gertrude appointed her niece Milly, she believed Milly would do the right thing and take care of her. She didn’t know the meaning of the word “fiduciary.”  She simply needed Milly to help her as she was aging.

Milly never set out to steal from her Aunt Gertrude. She loves her Aunt. She remembers her from when they were both younger. Aunt Gertrude was her favorite.

So what happened?

Need and greed are the two most common elements. Aunt Gertrude trusted Milly with her check book or her bank card, and Milly bought the groceries and paid the bills for her Aunt.  But one day, Milly needed a new battery for her car, and she was broke. She used her Aunt’s bank card “just this once” and justified it in her own mind – “After all, I drive her around in my car and do her shopping. It’s only fair!”

Need gives way to greed when Milly realizes that no one is watching over her. Aunt Gertrude is being robbed, and doesn’t  know it.

Be vigilant and look in on your senior citizen friends. And have a new Power of Attorney drafted for your Aunt Gertrude, one which includes a third party overseer.

Please contact Mateya Law Firm to help you with your estate planning and administration needs.