The $1 Million Mistake Families Make With Aging Parents w/ Annalee Kruger

Are you prepared to care for your aging parents? Most people would say no. In fact, many don't realize how expensive, chaotic, and emotionally draining aging is on a family. Annalee Krueger, author of The Invisible Patient: The Emotional, Financial, and Physical Toll on Family Caregivers, helps families plan for aging and navigate the caregiving journey. In this episode, she explains the true cost of aging at home, the red flags of cognitive decline, and how to prepare before a crisis hits. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Annalee's career journey (01:25) Why so many families are unprepared (05:03) The "what-when" reframe for aging (06:19) Red flags of cognitive decline and what to do next (08:43) The purpose behind, The Invisible Patient (12:03) How to build a "grab-and-go binder" for your family (14:08) The follow-up step most families skip (17:31) Why planning matters for all ages (21:33) The reality of aging at home and the cost of care (25:38) Why entrepreneurs carry extra risk (29:19) What brought you JOY today? (31:09) If you're a writer who wants to take control of your finances, read Mitlin Financial's  Write Your Financial Future: A Financial Guide for Authors: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/insights/blog/write-your-financial-future-a-financial-guide-for-authors/ Resources: Sending your child to college will always be emotional but are you financially ready? Take the College Readiness Quiz for Parents: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/college-readiness-quiz/ Doing your taxes might not be enJOYable but being more organized can make the process less painful. Get Your Gathering Your Tax Documents Checklist: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mitlin_ChecklistForGatheringYourTaxDocuments_Form_062424_v2.pdf Will you be able to enJOY the Retirement you envision? Take the Retirement Ready Quiz: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/retirement-planning-quiz/ Connect with Larry Sprung: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencesprung/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larry_sprung/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceDSprung/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/Lawrence_Sprung About Our Guest: Annalee started Care Right Inc, a virtual consultancy, in 2011, after working in Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC's) for 22 years. Annalee Kruger has devoted her career to guiding family caregivers and their aging loved ones with decisions about aging, dementia progression, the landscape of senior care, helping families determine their "safety triggers" for when parents need care and the aging at home care budget to prevent families from not qualifying financially to gain admission into a quality care community. She has been curated by over 32 wealth management firms to work directly with their clients. She is a national speaker on aging, caregiving, dementia, family dynamics, and end-of-life. Annalee also created the Aging Strategy Coaching Academy (ASCA), the first ever global coaching program that addresses aging, family caregiving, dementia, the landscape of senior care, dying, and grief. She also created the Elder Planning Specialist certification program, specifically for CFP's who want to earn a certificate to better identify and address the needs of their aging book of business. Connect with Annalee Kruger: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaleekruger/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carerightincorp/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBY2WWuTdSylECzGvksCC2w X: https://x.com/care_right Care Right Inc.: https://carerightinc.com Plan4Life: https://plan4lifenow.com/ Care Crusade: https://www.carecrusade.org/ Disclosure: Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest's content linked on this site. This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com