<div id="readability-page-1"><div> By Quentin Fottrell 'She's a very proud woman' &#34;Is there anything that I can do to help lessen the situation? Selling the car doesn't make sense.&#34; (Photo subject is a model.) Dear Quentin, My 81-year-old mom thought she was sitting on millions of dollars in her retirement fund. But what she thought was millions turned out to be less than $500,000. Before this happened, she gave me $50,000 to buy a new vehicle. I would have given the money back, but by the time we found out, I had already bought the new vehicle. Since all this was discovered, I've had to pay a few of her bills. Is there anything that I can do to help lessen the situation? Selling the car doesn't make sense as I would lose a lot of money due to depreciation. The only thing I can think of is to keep paying some of her bills. She lives on her own, the house is paid for, and she is a very proud woman and she won't admit that she makes mistakes (even with her nightly spending) so I'm in no position to even advise her on financial matters (plus we live thousands of miles apart). Is there anything I can do to help ease the situation? The Daughter You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com. The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually. Related: My grandmother gave her neighbor $6,000 to buy a car. There was no car. How can I protect her from further exploitation? It may be that you will have to choose - a cordial relationship or intervention. Dear Daughter, If this reversal of fortune does not provide a moment of grace where your mother accepts your help, you have limited options available to you that maintain the status quo. You are clearly concerned about your mother's ability to look after herself in the years ahead, and may have to take more direct action. This could cause a personal rift, but it could also help your mother. It may be that you will have to choose between a cordial relationship or intervention. The first question you want to ask is how your mother could believe she had millions of dollars saved for her retirement but only have $500,000 left. The good news is that $500,000 is better than $50,000. Given her age and the fact that she has no mortgage and is living off Social Security, she should have enough to get her through her lifetime. But you do want to preserve the remainder of her assets and figure out what went wrong. It may be that you will have to choose between a cordial relationship or intervention. There are several possibilities: She could have invested the money poorly - risky stocks, a lack of diversification etc. - or she may have fallen prey to an unscrupulous financial adviser or &#34;friend&#34; or neighbor who accessed her accounts. Or she may have a spending and/or gambling problem. Hiring a financial adviser to help her manage her assets would provide you with answers. Alternatively, you could ask her to give you power of attorney. Failing that, you have a rockier road ahead. On your next visit, assuming you take regular visits (even annually), you will be able to help organize her paperwork and even accompany her to a doctor's appointment. A court will not grant conservatorship because your mother spends too much money. In the absence of dementia or signs of dementia, forgetting to pay bills, falling victim to scammers and/or displaying an ability to manage her life would raise the bar. Related: 'I'm asking for a friend': Will the IRS write off $60,000 lost in a romance phishing scam? Guardianship as a last resort And if your mother's situation deteriorates? A full guardianship and conservatorship would allow you to make important decisions in terms of finances, health and well-being, including the type of medical care an elderly parent will receive and where she will live, according to Crowe Estate Planning and Probate, which has offices in Tennessee and Kentucky. Laws on guardianships and conservatorships vary by state. &#34;A guardian is also responsible for day-to-day activities, like paying bills and writing checks. Guardians have to report to the court that awarded the guardianship to receive approval for major decisions, such as the sale of a home in the parents' names,&#34; the law firm adds. &#34;In some instances, a court may be inclined to award partial or limited guardianship when a parent shows they can still make some decisions but need help in other areas.&#34; You can alert your mother's bank, credit union and/or credit-card company without discussing her accounts in detail. In the meantime, you can report any concerns to your mother's bank, credit union and/or credit-card company without discussing her accounts in detail. The National Careline offers, among other organizations, advice on next steps, including contacting the local council and reporting the issue to her local adult protective services, district attorney's office, and/or to the police or sheriff's office. Find your local APS here. As your mother's daughter and, perhaps, only child, you are in pole position to advise your mother about the management of her finances and/or recommend an adviser to help, regardless of how proud she may be. Acknowledging how important privacy and pride are to her should not negate any offer of help. You could frame it like: &#34;I've had great success with this particular adviser, and I'd like their services to be my gift to you.&#34; She bought you a $50,000 car. Generosity can work both ways, but it can involve time as well as money. Related: I'm 70 and have $2.6 million for retirement. Is 80% in equities too risky? More columns from Quentin Fottrell: Do I take a $70K job at 74 and lose my Section 8 housing allowance? 'I can only rely on me': How do I protect myself from my parents' nursing-home bills? After my father died, my stepsister transferred assets into her name. What now? Check out the Moneyist private Facebook group, where we look for answers to life's thorniest money issues. Post your questions or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns. By submitting your story to Dow Jones &amp; Co., the publisher of MarketWatch, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms. -Quentin Fottrell This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones &amp; Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. <pre></pre> (END) Dow Jones Newswires 09-05-25 1400ETCopyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.</div></div>

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一位 81 岁的女性发现她的退休基金远低于她的预期，只有 50 万美元，而不是数百万。她的女儿为母亲的财务管理和独立性感到担忧，因为她为一辆车收到了 5 万美元。女儿不确定如何在不引发冲突的情况下提供帮助，考虑了雇佣财务顾问或获得授权委托书等选项。如果情况恶化，可能需要监护权来管理母亲的财务和生活福祉。文章讨论了老年人财务照护的复杂性以及可能需要干预的情况

我 81 岁的母亲发现她的 “数百万” 投资已经不见了。我该怎么办？