Financial Abuse in Estate Planning: Documents and Misuses

Creating experiences that transform the heart, mind and practice.

Welcome and Housekeeping Details

• Cell phones on silent or vibrate

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• Location of restrooms and emergency exits

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• Schedule
• 1 break in morning and one in afternoon
• An hour for lunch

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• Course Materials
• PowerPoint handout/ Participant Manuals

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Experience With Estate Planning

• How many have had experience with an Estate Plan or Conservatorship?
• Come in contact with estate planning documents or Conservatorships personally, or
• Dealt with estate planning documents or conservatorships in relation to their clients?

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• How many have investigated or testified regarding estate planning documents?

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Course Goal

• Improve APS professional’s ability to identify estate planning documents in relation to client contact, as well as investigations and testimony when those documents are involved in financial abuse.
• Help APS professionals develop an understanding and appreciation for estate planning as it relates their profession.
• Enhance APS professionals ability to help direct clients’ use of necessary legal documents, and identify red flags within these documents for financial abuse.

Learning Objectives

• Identify all relevant estate planning documents
• Recognize the role and options for Conservatorships in relation to financial abuse
• Understand mental capacity as it relates to estate planning
• Identify how to access and use estate planning documents for investigations into financial abuse
• Demonstrate important documentation skills for investigations for maximum potential of prosecution of financial abuse.

What is Estate Planning

“What does Estate Planning mean to you?”

Who Needs an Estate Plan?

• Everyone, but there are appropriate plans for certain types of situations.
• Whether the value of your assets are large or small, everyone needs estate planning documents to designate someone to manage your assets and make health care and personal care decisions for you if you ever become incapacitated.
• Generally, everyone also needs a Will or a Trust.
• Guardian designations for minor children or dependent adult children.

Legal Description of Small Estate in CA

• A small estate: Under $150,000 total AND no real estate
• A large estate: Over $150,000 total and/or real estate

Estate Planning Documents

Pre-Death Estate Planning Documents: Everyone over 18 should have the Following – Regardless of Estate Value

• Financial Power of Attorney
• Health Care Power of Attorney
• HIPAA Authorization
• Guardian Designation for Minor Children (Pre and Post Death)

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Post-Death Estate Planning Documents:

• Will
• Revocable Living Trust (with Pour-over Will)
• Irrevocable Trust including Special Needs Trusts

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Who is at higher risk for �financial abuse?

• Jose’s niece is an Attorney and has worked with Jose to create his trust

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• Laura downloaded LegalZoom and created a Health care and Financial Power of Attorney with the help of her caretaker, Jacob.

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• Kayla hired an Estate Planning Attorney to develop a trust.

Powers of Attorney

• 1. Medical or Financial, and
• 2. Effective Immediately or Upon Incapacity

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Financial Powers of Attorney

• Most Often Used/Abused Document
• Everyone over 18 should have one

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• Other names:
• Durable POA
• Springing POA
• General Durable POA

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Case Sample �

APS is assigned a case after Jamal, son of Nathan, 71, reported to APS that Jamal’s sister, Keisha, is transferring their father’s retirement into her bank account. APS professional, Adam, interviewed Keisha and she mentioned she has POA and explained it was her father’s wishes. 3 weeks after Adam’s first collateral interview, Jamal called back and stated that Keisha had drained her father’s account and left the state. During his follow up, Adam confirmed that all funds were transferred to Keisha’s account.

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• What type of POA (Medical/Financial) does Keisha have and when is it effective (immediately or upon incapacity)?

Short Form Review�

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Terminology to look for:

• Agent
• Springing Power of Attorney
• Durable Power of Attorney
• General or Special Powers of Attorney
• Principal (Creator)

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Free CA Statutory POA Reference: saclaw.org

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Long Form Review�

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Terminology to look for:

• Agent
• Springing Power of Attorney
• Durable Power of Attorney
• General or Special Powers of Attorney
• Principal (Creator)

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***Often financial institutions require this one (specifies powers such as withdrawal or close bank account.

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Short and Long POA Forms

Activity #3: Understanding the Forms

• Using both short and long forms

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• Group 1:
• Identify “Effectiveness”, pros/cons and areas for potential for abuse
• Durable? General? Springing POA?

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• Group 2:
• Identify “Incapacity” and pros/cons
• Identify the ability to regain capacity
• Identify areas for potential abuse

Various Powers Often Granted by a �Financial Power of Attorney

• Create, amend, revoke, or terminate a revocable trust
• Make a gift
• Create or change rights of survivorship
• Create or change a beneficiary designation
• Authorize another person to exercise authority under this Power of Attorney
• Access the content of electronic communications
• Exercise fiduciary powers that the principal has authority to delegate

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Conservatorship –Alternative to �Financial Power of Attorney

Conservatorship is a very effective way to have power over an individual who is incapacitated that creates court oversight of the Agent’s actions rather than a private document that grants this immense power.

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Conservatorships

Handled in the probate court.

• Probate court has legal authority to make decisions about life and property of a conservatee. When a judge appoints a conservator, the court’s authority to care for the conservatee is partly delegated to the conservator, under the court’s supervision.

General/Limited conservatorship; in addition, a Temporary conservatorship may need to be set up until a permanent conservator can be appointed.

• In a Limited Conservatorship, for adults with developmental disabilities who cannot fully care for themselves or their property, but do not need the higher level of care or help that is given under a general conservatorship. The judge gives a limited conservator authority to take care of specific aspects of the conservatee’s life and no others;
• In a General Conservatorship, the general conservator has authority to take care of a broad range of the conservatee’s needs.

Second Pre-death Estate Planning �document – Medical Power of Attorney

Everyone over 18 should have one.

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Medical Powers of Attorney/Advanced Heath Care Directive

• Medical Powers of Attorney go by many names: Durable Power of Attorney for Medical, Advanced Health care directive, Power of attorney for health care, POLST, 5 Wishes, Living Will…

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• Section 1: Designate an Agent
• Section 2: End of Life Decisions
• Section 3: Organ Donation

To Witness or Notarize?

PROBATE CODE SECTION 4121:

• A power of attorney is legally sufficient if all of the following requirements are satisfied:
• (a) The power of attorney contains the date of its execution.
• (b) The power of attorney is signed either (1) by the principal or (2) in the principal’s name by another adult in the principal’s presence and at the principal’s direction.
• (c) The power of attorney is either (1) acknowledged before a notary public or (2) signed by at least two witnesses who satisfy the requirements of Section 4122.

Reviewing a Client’s POA

• Group(s) 1: You are given a financial or medical POA document to review by the daughter of a client who you suspect may be being abused. You notice the POA was witnessed by two people and not notarized. You ask the daughter who the two witnesses were and are informed that they are the client’s granddaughter and granddaughter’s spouse.

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• Group(s) 2: You are given a financial or medical POA document to review by the daughter of a client who you suspect may be being abused. You notice that the POA was notarized but you know that the client has not been mobile for many years.

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• Write down pros/cons of using witness vs. authentication
• How would you discuss the issue of execution of documents with your client to help gather evidence of abuse?

Additional Pre-death Documents

• HIPAA Authorization
• Guardian Nomination for Minor children

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Helpful Tip

• Always remember to READ the document for answers to questions first.
• What is written in the document is what, how and who has power, so READ the documents for answers first.

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Post Death Estate Planning documents

What is the difference between a will and a trust?

• A will goes through the probate court to oversee the manage your estate; pay your debts, expenses and taxes; and distribute your estate according to the instructions in your will, whereas a Trust avoids probate and does the same process privately.

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Revocable Living Trusts

Revocable Living Trust is a legally enforceable contract, which can be made by an individual or couple. A Revocable Living Trust agreement allows property to be owned by the Trust itself.

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• Various names such as Living Trust, Revocable Living Trust, Grantor Trust, Intervivos (during life) trust

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Revocable Trust Elements

• Revocable
• Changeable through Amendments or Restatement
• Maker retains Complete Control
• Same use of your SS# and tax returns
• Irrevocable after your Death and upon your incapacity
• Low Cost
• Avoids probate

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Funding

• Titling Assets in the Name of Your Living Trust

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Unfunded Trust Case Scenario

You are meeting with the Reporting Party, Tom, who is the son of Elisa. Elisa is living with Alzheimer’s and has been medically found incapacitated. Tom is named as the Successor Trustee in Elisa’s trust and reported to APS that he believes his sister is taking advantage of their mother’s situation.

He gives you a copy of the Trust and a copy of the deed to Elisa’s house that is in Elisa’s name only.

When you look over it, you notice that the deed to the house has not been put in the name of the trust.

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• Who would have authority over Elisa’s house or to change the name of the house (“fund”) the house into Elisa’s trust?

Options for Transferring Assets �After Death

• Savings and Checking Accounts
• Investment Accounts
• Business Holdings such as Partnerships and LLC’s
• Real Estate including Time Shares
• Retirement Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Pensions

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Helpful Hints

• Always check for recent beneficiary changes when suspected financial abuse.

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• A private fiduciary, for a Conservatorship or a Trust can be a valuable option for a client who may not have family or friends who could be in charge.
• Most major banks also have Trust administration departments as well.

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Potential for Abuse

• Negligence?

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• How to Remove an Agent/Trustee
• Activity- Reviewing a Trust

Trust Review Activity

Using the Revocable Living Trust Sample

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• Locate the section for removal of a Trustee
• Find definition of incapacity
• Find where the trustees are listed (incapacity and death)

Other Types of Trusts:

• Irrevocable Trusts or “Control from the Grave Trusts”
• Irrevocable Trust for Problematic children
• Trust for second (or third..) spouse, where you want to control where the assets go after their death
• Special Needs Trusts for dependent adult children

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Concerns and Remedies for Clients

Richard has an irrevocable trust that was set up by his deceased wealthy wife Georgette. Georgette insisted on making the terms of the trust become irrevocable upon her death because she wanted to protect the principal of the assets for her four children by a prior marriage.

Doug is the Trustee of the trust for Richard and is directed by the terms of the trust to distribute all of the income produced by the trust to Richard Quarterly.

Doug has invested the Trust money in a joint venture which Doug owns half of, and the investment has not produced income in three years. Richard is living at a poverty level, is in need of a medical procedure to save his life and has not seen an accounting of the trust assets in 4 years.

• Discuss issues and possible remedies for Richard.

Wills

• Standard Will
• Holographic wills
• Pour-over Will

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Helpful Hint:

Often when someone does their own trust, they do not know how to properly “fund” their trust, and may not have executed a pour-over will.

An unfunded trust or lack of other estate planning documents accompanying the Trust can be indicators that something is amiss.

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Trust Promoters

There are many who call themselves “trust specialists,” “certified planners” or other titles that suggest the person has received advanced training in estate planning.

• California is experiencing an explosion of promotions by unqualified individuals and entities which only have one real goal—to gain access to our elders’ finances in order to sell insurance-based products such as annuities and other commission-based products.
• They often offer a package deal of estate planning as well as the financial product they are trying to sell.

Estate Planning Documents:�Wrap-Up

What are the main Estate Planning Documents?

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Probate Codes:

§ 16002: Duty of loyalty

§ 16004: Conflicts of interest

Final Red Flag Case Study

Jema created a living trust with Estate-Planning’s R-Us, a company who gave a seminar at Jema’s retirement community and advertised themselves as a “full service” estate planning firm. Leo was the attorney who drafted the trust for Jema at her bedside because she was now bedridden. Leo advised her that she should list Leo’s partner Sami as her Financial POA and Successor trustee because Sami is a private fiduciary and Jema has no family members that she could trust to be her successor trustee.

• The compensation for being a financial POA and successor trustee was listed as 5% annually of the assets. The Financial POA was effective immediately because Leo was worried about Jema’s recent diagnosis of Dementia.
• Leo had Jema sign over the deed to her house to the Trust and helped her sign the new beneficiary designations of her retirement accounts to the Trust.
• After 6 months, Sami decided that the retirement facility was costing too much and moved Jema to an apartment and hired his nephew to care for Jema 24/7. You have been called in on a report of neglect for Jema and find her alone with no food in the house, unwashed and delirious.

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Investigations and Documenting for �Prosecution

• The better you are at interviewing – and documenting, the better chance your case has for conviction at trial.

Helpful Tip

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT everything, and always remember the end-game.

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CalCrim Jury Instruction No.1807-Theft�from an Elder or Dependent Adult

1. That defendant committed (theft, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, or identity theft
2. The (property taken/or personal identifying information used) was owned by/that of an elder/a dependent adult)
3. The property, goods, or services obtained was worth more than $950, AND
4. The defendant knew or reasonably should have known that the (owner of the property/person to whom the identifying information belonged) was and elder/a dependent adult

Case Scenario: Theft from an �Elder/Dependent Adult

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APS received case from RP Bianca, neighbor of Francisco, 82 years old, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and needs assistance with his ADLs. Bianca reported that Michelle, a member at Francisco's church, recently moved in to help him.

When Bianca was helping clean out and organize Francisco’s office, she noticed multiple past due bill statements and bank statements with overdrawn charges dating back many months. Bianca suspects Michelle is withdrawing funds from Francisco’s accounts.

Bianca has asked Francisco many times if he has a Medical and/or Financial Power of Attorney and he has responded that he does not. She was unable to find any estate planning documents in the office.

When Bianca asked Michelle about the withdrawals, Michelle stated that she considered it payback fro her quitting her job to care for Francisco.

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Jury Instructions

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Locating Documents

• Trusts, Wills and FPOA’s:
• not “filed” so no great way to find them other than in client’s possession

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• HCPOA’s:
• Often filed at the doctor’s office or hospital

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Locating Documents (continued)

• Grant deeds to houses:
• Public at recorder’s office
• can see change in title and get name of trust and possibly the attorney from the recording information at the top

Locating Documents (continued)

• Bank/Brokerage Accounts – may be titled in Trust name, checks may have trust name on address line.

Locating Documents - Confidentiality

Client’s Attorney – Confidentiality is always an issue. If Client can authorize you to speak to attorney, can get access to documents.

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Executing Financial Documents – �Legal Capacity

Legal capacity and Clinical capacity:

• Legal=ability to make judgments about one’s legal rights and responsibilities.
• Clinical=a judgment about one’s functional abilities to care for themselves mentally or physically (for example food, clothing and shelter). This is a very low threshold. 

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Legal Capacity is part of one’s Decision Making Capacity which can include:

• Sign a contract (purchase an annuity)
• Sign a will (testamentary capacity)
• Give away property/assets
• Medical decision making (take a medication, treat a condition, leave a facility)
• Identify alternative decision makers (DPOA, successor trustee, executor)

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4 Step Questioning Technique to �Assess Capacity

1. Can the client understand relevant information?

• Do you know that you have a serious cut on your leg?
• Ask for options in open-ended question.
• “Tell me what you know about the purpose of a trust.”

2. What is the quality of the client’s thinking process?

• How can you get treatment for your wound? 
• “How would you go about making changes to your will if need be?”

3. Is the client able to demonstrate and communicate a choice?

• Do you want to get treatment for your wound?
• Ask for options for an open-ended question.
• “What reasons or circumstances would make you want to make changes to your Estate Plan?”

4. Does the client appreciate the nature of his/her own situation?

• What will happen if you don’t get your wound treated?
• “What will happen if you keep your Estate Plan as is?”

Lessons Learned & Wrap Up

• Take a moment and look through today’s materials.

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• In Participant Manual, write down two lessons learned from today or something(s) you will share with others after this training.

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Evaluations and Questions

• Final Questions?
• Please fill out evaluations!

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THANK YOU for attending today, and your commitment to serve older and vulnerable adults.