Elliott Appel: Caring for My Father Put My Life on Pause for 7 Years. Here’s What I Learned

Our guest on the podcast today is Elliott Appel. He’s a financial planner and the founder of Kindness Financial Planning. He’s also an author. His latest book is called How to Help Your Parents As They Age: A Financial Planner’s Guide to Caregiving, which chronicles his father’s last years and the key lessons he learned along the way. He’s also co-host of his own podcast called the ME and Money Podcast. We really loved this conversation because Elliott provided so many tangible tips that people can use to help their parents, and his personal story really provides a lot of color.We’d love to hear what you think about The Long View podcast. Please take a moment to share your feedback—thanks for listening!&nbsp;Episode Highlights00:00:00 Introduction00:01:23 Financial Planning Through Life Transitions00:03:22 Appel’s Journey Planning for His Father00:08:45 How an Eldercare Consultant Can Help00:13:03 Estate Planning and Choosing the Right Power of Attorney00:17:05 Guardrails for Aging Parents’ Finances00:24:43 Put Parents on Your Cellphone Plan00:27:17 Navigating Healthcare, Housing, and Care Transitions00:33:59 Managing Caregiver Stress and Burnout00:43:31 Rethinking Aging and Death in the USMore From The Long ViewBeth Pinsker: Lessons From ‘My Mother’s Money’&nbsp;Kathleen Rehl: Helping Widows and the Advisors Who Serve Them&nbsp;Sally Balch Hurme: Getting Your Affairs in Order as You Get Older&nbsp;If you have a comment or a guest idea, please email us at&nbsp;TheLongView@Morningstar.com.&nbsp;Follow Christine Benz (@christine_benz) and Ben Johnson (@MstarBenJohnson) on X, and&nbsp;Christine Benz,&nbsp;Amy Arnott, and&nbsp;Ben Johnson&nbsp;on LinkedIn. Visit&nbsp;Morningstar.com&nbsp;for new research and insights from&nbsp;Christine,&nbsp;Ben, and&nbsp;Amy.&nbsp;Subscribe to Christine’s weekly newsletter,&nbsp;Improving Your Finances.&nbsp;If you want more Morningstar podcasts, check out&nbsp;The Morning Filter&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/investing-insights" target=