Financial Insecurity

Financial Insecurity

Noah – Lisa’s Dad
Aliya – Lisa’s Mom

Treasure hunting through a senior’s possessions often reveals more than just financial assets; it uncovers a mosaic of personal history and cherished memories that define a lifetime. This exploratory process is essential not only for managing the practical financial needs of aging parents but also for preserving the emotional legacies they wish to leave behind.

Lisa dove into what could only be described as a financial treasure hunt, unraveling the layers of her parents’ history to secure their future. With Noah and Aliya by her side, they delved into decades of collective memories, uncovering hidden assets and mementos from a life richly lived.

The night before Lisa, her mom and dad were planning on going through their shared office for cleanup and financial review, she set some ground rules.

“1. No fights, 2. No complaints, 3. Timeout for cool downs is allowed, you just must ask first, no storming out. 4. We are a team going treasure hunting through your history.” After laying down the rules, she asked “Do I have your commitment?” They both nodded, knowing full well they needed to find every penny they had to take care of their expenses moving forward.

Next morning, Lisa got the best coffee and donuts in town, and then they started.

Entering her office, she saw paperwork everywhere on the two desks. Then there were 11 boxes fully stuffed with paperwork. It seemed overwhelming, but she was a woman on a mission, so she said to her troops “One paper at a time… We are going to review, and what is of no use we are going to shred.”

With a deep sigh, she said to herself “One paper at a time”.

“Look at this, Dad,” Lisa said, her voice tinged with excitement as she unearthed an old bond certificate. “Do you remember getting this?”

Noah peered over, a look of surprise etching his face. “Ah, that thing? I bought it ages ago. I looked for it over the years. Great, you found it!”

Lisa’s eyes sparkled with disbelief. “That’s now worth $50,000!” she declared, a sense of wonder in her voice.

With an early big win, they all felt energized.

Lisa’s dad liked investing in a variety of things and over the years had invested in bonds and annuities that he had completely forgotten about. As she looked further in that box, she discovered a couple more bonds. Not as valuable as the first one, but every penny counts.

The next few boxes were filled with paperwork both her parents had saved from the various jobs that they had over the years. The treasure in those boxes at first seemed mostly a sense of pride from a job well done. Both had saved their performance reviews. These reviews were all filled with praises for them. Lisa read some of them with pride and started saving them in an empty box, thinking one day she would help them with their memoirs. 

Then she discovered a piece of paper that led them to yet another jackpot at the end of the rainbow. “Mom, did you have a pension plan when you worked at Monsanto?” Lisa asked, knowing full well the answer would be “I don’t know honey!” and that was the exact response she got.

Lisa called the phone number on the paperwork. Her mom and Lisa were on the phone with a very helpful young man for 45 minutes. When they hung up. They collectively did a happy dance. Turned out her mom was enrolled in a pension plan that she was now eligible to draw money from. It was enough to cover all her “I need money for fun” monthly expenses.

Elated from the news and Happy Dance, the three of them sat down for lunch and went over all the companies that they had each worked for. They discussed how many years they had stayed at each of the companies. 

When they got back to the office, Lisa went through the boxes painstakingly to see if there were any more pension plans or retirement savings plans that they had not previously identified. Turned out there were a couple of other 401K retirement savings plans that had been unaccounted for. These plans also added a significant amount to their nest eggs.

As Lisa was opening the last box that was supporting her mom’s table that looked a little wobbly, she discovered an envelope that was propping up one of the legs that had lost its protective leg cap.

When she opened that envelope, she saw a bank statement for an account that contained $41,000 as of a year ago. The account only had her mom’s name. Her mom had just gone to the restroom. So, Lisa decided to follow her there and ask about this account in private. 

“Mom, what is this?” Lisa asked. 

“Oh yeah! Don’t tell your dad about this, but for years I had been putting some money in this account, so one day I could take the whole family on around the world trip.” Responded her mom with eyes filled with dreams and tears. “I guess there is too much going on in our lives now to ever take the trip.” she added with sadness.

Lisa was curious if her dad had a hidden bank account. She told mom to stay out of the office for fifteen minutes. She asked her dad, “Do you have a bank account that mom does not know about”. He responded sheepishly, “Yeah, there is one with about $17,000. I won big on one of my trips to Vegas with my friends. I know your mom doesn’t approve of my gambling, so I have kept that account to use for gambling adventures with my friends. You can’t tell her about that account.” He commanded.

With all boxes removed and at least the top of the desks cleared and dinner time approaching. Lisa announced “Let’s call it quits for the night. It has been a highly productive day, don’t you think?” She looked at both her parents, grinning ear to ear, and looking for validation.

With the boxes all gone, there was a door that exposed itself. Lisa thought she should open that, to estimate the number of hours it would take to go through that closet tomorrow. As she approached the door, her mom said in a loud panicked voice as if a dead body was in the closet. “I can take care of the closet once you leave, it’s all for donation, there is no paperwork in that closet.”

Her mom’s reaction was so out of character that curiosity made her go open the door before her mom could stop her. She opened the door to a closet that was meticulously organized and labeled with colorful tags.

Unlike her husband who had investments in stocks and bonds. She had collected artificial jewelry, fur coats and teacups. The meticulous tagging was to help Lisa, after her mom’s death. She had a hundred different names on those tags. Lisa’s mom was very fond of giving gifts to others. This would be her last gift to all those friends and family members that she cherished.

As she relayed the night’s events to her husband, her laughter was unstoppable. Her parents’ antics were undeniably hilarious, but her chuckles were powered by a cocktail of bone-deep tiredness mixed with an unexpected financial windfall. It was less about the comic situation and more an eruption of pent-up emotions. Imagine her laughter as the sound of money doing a stand-up routine while running on no sleep—it was that kind of funny.

When Lisa needed money to pay for her mom’s care at the end of her life, Lisa brought the most expensive furs to her mom. “Mom, the fur coats,” Lisa gently ventured, aware of the memories she wanted to leave behind. “They could help with your care expenses.”

Her mom’s fixated gaze on those fur coats lingered for a long time as she reviewed mentally the stories of how and when she bought them. Each label triggered the memories of the wonderful times with her friends and family whom she wanted to leave those too. Lisa gave her mom some time to digest her recommendation. 

Finally, she said in a soft voice, “If it helps with my care, then sell them. I’d rather have you worry less.”

Lisa found exploring her parents’ home like an archaeological dig, uncovering not just unexpected financial treasures but a rich tapestry of their lives. From dormant bank accounts echoing forgotten dreams, like Aliya’s wish to see the world, to tales of career achievements buried in paperwork, the journey was priceless. Adhering to excavation rules, they didn’t just unearth financial gains but also a wealth of cherished memories, painting a vivid picture of a family woven together by love, respect, and the joy of rediscovering their shared history.

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A Hidden Legacy

Edwina and Her Parents’ Story

Edwina sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by piles of paperwork. Her parents, Thomas and Alexa, had asked for her help in organizing their finances, and she had eagerly taken on the task.

“Okay, Mom, Dad, let’s see what we’ve got here. We need to go through all of this and find anything that might be valuable,” Edwina said, sorting through a stack of papers.

Thomas looked at the mess with a sigh. “We should have done this years ago. I don’t even know where to start.”

Alexa nodded, feeling just as overwhelmed. “It’s going to be a long day.”

Edwina smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll take it one step at a time.”

They began sorting through the paperwork, finding old bills, receipts, and letters. As they worked, Edwina came across a faded envelope labeled “Retirement Savings.”

“Dad, look at this. Do you remember this?” Edwina asked, holding up the envelope.

Thomas’s eyes widened. “I had completely forgotten about that. It’s been years since I’ve seen it.”

Edwina opened the envelope to find a retirement account statement. “This is worth a lot more than I expected. This could really help us.”

Excited by their discovery, they continued sorting through the boxes. Alexa found a certificate for a savings account she had forgotten about. “This is enough money to cover some of our expenses,” she said, feeling a sense of relief.

As they dug deeper, Edwina discovered an old safety deposit box key. “Mom, Dad, do you know what this is for?”

Thomas shook his head. “I don’t remember, but it must be important.”

They went to the bank and opened the safety deposit box to find a collection of her mother’s old jewelry, now even more valuable. “This is amazing,” Edwina said, feeling a sense of awe.

The day turned into evening as they continued their search. They found more forgotten assets, including a trust fund set up by Alexa’s parents.

By the end of their search, they had uncovered a significant amount of hidden funds. Edwina hugged her parents, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

“We’ve found enough to secure your future. You don’t have to worry anymore,” she said, her voice filled with love and relief.

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Stashed Funds

Colin and Lauren’s Story

Colin and Lauren had been married for thirty years, and now, with their children grown and their money dwindling, they decided it was time to downsize. Their old Victorian home, filled with memories and echoes of the past, was far too large for just the two of them. They found a quaint, two-bedroom cottage on the outskirts of town. It was perfect—charming, cozy, and just the right size for a new chapter in their lives.

Moving day was a whirlwind of activity. Friends and family helped pack up the last of their belongings, and soon they were standing in their new living room, surrounded by boxes. The cottage felt like a blank canvas, ready to be filled with new memories.

As they unpacked, Lauren noticed that the mattress they brought from their old guest room was unusually lumpy. Curious, she unzipped the cover and found several old envelopes stuffed with cash.

“Colin, come here! Look at this,” she called out.

Colin hurried over and peered inside the mattress. “That’s unexpected,” he said, pulling out an envelope. “When did we put this here?”

Lauren laughed, shaking her head. “I completely forgot about this. Remember when we used to hide money around the house when the kids were younger? I guess we never got around to taking it out.”

They spent the next hour carefully extracting the envelopes. 

“This could help with some of the immediate expenses,” Lauren said, relief evident in her voice.

Colin nodded. “Definitely. Maybe we should check around for more. Who knows what else we might have forgotten about?”

Over the next few days, they scoured every nook and cranny of their belongings. Each discovery brought a mixture of excitement and disbelief. 

One evening, as they sat on a bench, watching the sunset, Lauren brought up a topic that had been on her mind. “Colin, I’ve been thinking. We’re not getting any younger, and managing everything by ourselves is getting harder. Maybe we should consider hiring a part-time caregiver. Just for a few hours a week to help out.”

Colin nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking the same. This money we found—it’s like a little gift from our past selves, giving us a chance to make things a bit easier now.”

Lauren smiled, squeezing his hand. “Exactly. It gives us some breathing room to make those decisions without stressing about the immediate costs.”

The unexpected windfall had not only eased their financial worries but also provided them with the opportunity to plan for their future with a bit more confidence.

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Companies Associated with Financial Insecurity

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