Mary (age 76) and Steve (age 75) are in an independent living environment in an affluent lifecare community in Northern Virginia. Steve has been diagnosed with intermediate-stage dementia. Mary is a no-nonsense, sophisticated investor, who has successfully managed the couple’s multi-million dollar assets.
We were referred to this couple when Mary was in the process of determining what levels of healthcare support Steve needed relative to what she could afford. When we met her, Mary was evaluating whether to move toward higher levels of assistance within their community or bring additional hours of home-based care into their independent living environment. Because her adult children live far away, Mary was trying to make these decisions on her own, with very little support. We were warned by her financial advisor that Mary was fee-conscious and that her natural stoicism and skepticism about the field of wealth management might be a barrier to moving forward.