10/17/2026
You probably know your parents’ favorite restaurant, what kind of coffee they drink, and the family story they’ve told you a hundred times.
But do you know where they keep their important documents?
Do you know who they want making certain decisions if they can’t? Who should be contacted first? Or whether they’ve documented their wishes at all?
These aren’t always comfortable conversations, especially when our parents are healthy and independent.
But that’s also when they’re easiest to have.
You don’t need to ask how much money they have or turn dinner into a financial meeting. Sometimes the conversation can start as simply as:
“If you ever needed me to help, what would you want me to know?”
The goal isn’t to take control of your parents’ finances.
It’s to avoid trying to figure everything out for the first time during an emergency.