You can’t take it with you, but you need it up until the day you leave. Through some recent volunteer work, I have been helping a woman in her 70’s. She is on a limited income and struggling to keep up with all her bills. I know very little about her life and how she came to her current situation.
I was impressed with her willingness to disclose her personal financial situation to a relative stranger. I don’t care who you are, that’s tough to do. She did it in the hope of finding a fix or improvement to a unwinnable financial situation. With a fixed income consisting of a little social security and a very small monthly pension her expenses are higher than her income. A tough situation for anyone. But I’m guessing it is particularly stressful when you are older with limited options. I wondered how long she has been in this situation. I can tell it is stressful for her.
What, if any, help I can provide will not dramatically change her living situation or lifestyle. But I do hope to show her some options. Options that give her some choices in life. Choices in life that may provide her some sense of control and dignity.
These are the same basic choices most of us have but with a lot less income. The lower your income the fewer your choices.