Giveaway: “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.”

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Personal finance journalist Cameron Huddleston’s new book was written from painful personal experience. “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances” came about after Huddleston’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

She learned a lot – and she learned it the hard way. Now she wants to help other people from having to go through the difficulties of dealing with someone else’s finances after the person is ill and unable to help sort things out.

End-of-life issues are never easy to discuss. With wisdom and compassion, the author offers a tremendous amount of expertise to take you through this touchy process.

Huddleston has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway of two copies of “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances.” If you or anyone else you know has aging parents, this book could save a lot of grief and wasted energy, and let you focus on what’s important: finding the best solutions for your family.

The book shows how to get the conversation started before your parents actually need any help. You’ll learn how to talk about things like estate planning, whether they can (or should) age in place vs. moving to a smaller home or to an assisted living facility, what kinds of documents and legal paperwork you should have just in case, how to bring siblings into the conversation and – this is super-important! – what not to say.

Suppose your parents resist any kind of talk at all? Huddleston has a chapter about that, too. These are invasive questions, after all, and your parents (who may still see you as “the kid”) might not want to talk about money– especially if it turns out they don’t have enough).

I haven’t yet finished “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk,” but I can already say that anyone whose family hasn’t discussed later-in-life issues needs to read this book.

 

Right now the book has been marked down by about $10. I don’t know if this pre-publication price will go up on June 25, when the book is officially released. So I’m going to propose a deal here:

  • If you need this book then go ahead and buy it now, while it’s cheaper.
  • Next, enter the giveaway. Should you then be chosen as one of the two winners, I’ll give you a $10 Amazon card.

Unless, of course, you want the extra copy of the book to give to a relative or friend.

 


Entering is, as always, fairly simple:

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry (e.g., “following you on Pinterest” plus “signed up to subscribe” or whatever).

The deadline is 6 p.m. PDT Friday, July 5. If I don’t hear back from the winners by 6 p.m. PDT Saturday, July 6, I’ll have the random number generator pick a new name or names.

(Edited to add: My daughter is also giving away a copy of this book on her website. Go enter there and improve your chances of winning!)

Again, go ahead and buy the book while also trying your luck in the giveaway. If you are one of the winners, you’ll get the book you wanted and also $10 worth of Amazon purchasing power. #winwin

Note: Due to the high cost of international shipping, this giveaway is for U.S. residents only.

 

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53 thoughts on “Giveaway: “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.””

  1. My dad just passed, leaving my stepmom in limbo. I definitely need a book like this to speak to my mom and stepdad. Especially since my mom is a very tough nut to crack and stonewalls any effort to deal with finances.

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  4. I subscribe via email. Even with my Mom in a nursing home for over a year, my Dad is 100% resistant to any substantive discussion about finances aside from complaining about the expense.

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  5. 20 years ago my FIL passed away and had mucked up the beneficiary to his IRA. Got it fixed.

    6 years ago my MIL passed away….and despite all the issues that had to be dealt with when her husband passed, my husband (now ex) didn’t get his fingers in the pie. Sure enough she died and it took several months of maneuvering on my part to get things transferred to the sons without a major tax hit.

    I had all this conversation with my parents. When my father passed….he had mucked some things up as well. It took nearly a year to get the one annuity cashed in. Apparently dad wasn’t listening.

    I am now joint trustee, etc. on my mother’s and I can assure you!! that it will be a smooth transition that next and final time.

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  6. I subscribe via email. My sister got our mom to do her will and all the other legal papers. However, there is still a big problem with our mom and other sister that will probably be hard to solve after our mom dies.
    I need to read the book for myself. Maybe it would help me to finish getting everything done or updated.

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  7. This is a difficult conversation. Dad has dementia. Before mom passed, she made us aware of where their finances were

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  11. Both parents have passed. Dad just last month. We had the conversations and everything went as well as it could. Sorting out the trust now, but just steps and some time at this point. All looks in order. At this point my husband and I are the “parents”. We do have a trust, but a big property that he swears he will stay on until he is carried away. Our conversation will need to be about him giving up enough control so the property can be cared for by hired people. Going to be a challenge.

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  12. Subscribe by email. My mother is 93 and doing pretty well. The estate is in relatively good order. But I am also the executor on my aunt’s estate and that needs a lot of work.

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  13. Parents 78 and 80 on 20 acres. “Stuff is set up.” In laws 78 and 86 in assisted living. Divided belongings up before moving and “Everything is set.” I’m not offended if I get them mad by discussing mental, physical, or financial health. Needed by husband and self to while our mental health is good. Follow you by nice surprises in my IN box.

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  14. All of the people I had taken care of passed, but I am getting up there and would like to read it and pass it to my daughter. We don’t have much to leave, but we do have a will and living wills. So far the most that bothers me is figuring out what we will do about driving. We live pretty far away from anything, doctors, stores, hospital, etc. We also have to drive over mountains. I don’t want to be driving them past 80. Afraid we will have to move closer as there are no buses or any transportation.

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  17. My parents kept us informed and had everything arranged so that it was easy to take care of. I am trying to do the same for my children.

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  18. I’m definitely in need of guidance. My parents have their affairs in order, but I’m not confident I would know what to do if something happened to them.

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  24. In my case, I tried very hard to have the talk with my parents, but they refused. I even got an elder planning attorney to talk to them, who they politely dismissed.Since they were both in their right minds, not demented, etc, there was little I could do. Now it’s a bunch of years later and I’m trying to ameliorate the damage from their lack of planning as best I can. It stinks.

    My point is, don’t necessarily think your parents will be reasonable about this and don’t think having the talk will sort everything out, because it might not.

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  28. Also – after years of hounding my parents, I am pleased that two weeks ago (for Father’s Day) they went out and both made wills! Now they are nagging me to make one..

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  29. This comment has nothing to do with the giveaway. Though I would love to win. I am finally going to FinCon after all these years and I would love to meet you. So when you pick a get together spot make sure to post about it so we can try to meet up!

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  32. This looks like a resource that I could really use! My dad passed away 1.5 years ago and I am worried about my mom.

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  35. My Mom just passed. She fought every possible financial plan except a Will and POA. I hired an elder law attorney (LOVE that woman) for me, to help me. I had to deal with nursing homes, rehabs, hospitals, Drs., 3 am phone calls, the HMO Medicare BORG, Medicaid, banks, paying all the bills, cashing out life insurance policies to make Medicaid happy, selling the house, and dealing with the possessions. I still cringe when I hear hold music. It was the most stressful 5 year event of my life all while working a full time job.

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    • I’m sorry to hear that it was so hard for you. It sounds hellish.

      One woman I know, whose mom lived to be 101, described the process in this way: “It was harder than cancer.” (And she knows this to be true because she also had cancer.)

      Wishing you healing and peace. Also no more “hold” music.

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  36. DH and I are travelling through our 80’s – our problem is a little different because our children and grandchildren don’t want to sit down and listen to what we have set in motion – and certainly don’t want to make suggestions. We’ll just keep trying. Perhaps this book will encourage them.

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  38. I definitely could use this book! I need to have this talk with my mom, but have been putting it off because I didn’t know how to lead into the discussion or what to say. Hoping I win this book so I can learn how to talk with my mom about financial issues.

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  39. I think I need this book. Ive been the primary caregiver for my MIL and her pal, Al Z. Heimer, for over six years. It is really wearing me down.

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  42. We are just starting to enter these waters, probably later than we should have. As my grandparents immigrated, they are uncharted waters for our family. The book sounds like it would be really helpful. (It also looks like the price went up as you predicted…I was too slow to purchase. Hope I win!)

    Reply

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