A new book co-authored by a professor at The University of Arizona guides baby boomers and their families through the often overwhelming legal and financial issues facing new retirees.
UA Professor of Law Kenney Hegland and Tucson attorney Robert Fleming penned “Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice for Boomers“ with the lofty goals to ease the angst of retirement, help boomers avoid common legal pitfalls and encourage families to openly discuss retirement issues.
“This book addresses a long-felt need,” Hegland said. “The need for aging individuals to feel educated and empowered about how to address the predicable and unpredictable concerns of retirement.”
There are few inexpensive resources available that cover the entire range of legal issues facing baby boomers, including retirement income, housing, health care, estate planning, elder abuse, living wills and age discrimination. “We want people to know their issues and options, rather than having these explained while a lawyer’s meter is running,” Hegland said
According to Hegland, some of the top priorities for baby boomers planning to retire are to:
- create a health care power of attorney that communicates his or her wishes in case of severe illness or injury.
- create a will and perhaps a living trust.
- locate and list all important possessions and documents
“The retirement landscape is changing,” Hegland said. “Many boomers don’t just want to retire and play golf. They want to be engaged in their community and to actively manage their legal and financial affairs. ‘Alive and Kicking’ is a departure from most legal prose, which is rarely fun to read, as it’s accessible to the layperson with no legal background.”
Hegland believes that family members, especially children of baby boomers, also have a responsibility to initiate conversations about sensitive issues relating to health, finances and legal affairs. “Sometimes the son or daughter has to point out the elephant in the room and bring up the difficult questions about confronting mortality, paying the bills and avoiding scams,” he said.
“Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice for Boomers” devotes a chapter to schemes against seniors and on how to avoid falling prey to a scam disguised as an investment opportunity or a charity. According to the authors, the law often lags behind the latest fraudulent schemes.
Hegland was motivated to write “Alive and Kicking” once he began teaching an elder law class at the UA. “I began to realize that are so many complicated issues to think about when approaching retirement, and baby boomers would benefit from a resource tailored to them.”
Hegland has spent his career teaching law students how to use the law to solve life’s perplexing questions. He has taught law for more than 30 years at the UA, Harvard, University of California, Los Angeles and University of San Diego’s London program. Two of his books are widely used in the nation’s law schools and he has written and produced eight law videos currently distributed by the Discovery Channel.
Fleming practices law in Tucson and lectures and writes about elder law extensively, with particular emphasis on planning for individuals with disabilities and other special needs. His professional background includes a stint as the Public Fiduciary in Tucson and a turn as Tucson City Magistrate. In addition to an active law practice he writes and lectures extensively on elder law issues. His book, “The Elder Law Answer Book,” is one of the principal treatises on elder law used by practitioners.
Hegland was motivated to write “Alive and Kicking” once he began teaching an elder law class at the UA. “I began to realize that are so many complicated issues to think about when approaching retirement, and baby boomers would benefit from a resource tailored to them.”
Hegland has spent his career teaching law students how to use the law to solve life’s perplexing questions. He has taught law for more than 30 years at the UA, Harvard, University of California, Los Angeles and University of San Diego’s London program. Two of his books are widely used in the nation’s law schools and he has written and produced eight law videos currently distributed by the Discovery Channel.
Fleming practices law in Tucson and lectures and writes about elder law extensively, with particular emphasis on planning for individuals with disabilities and other special needs. His professional background includes a stint as the Public Fiduciary in Tucson and a turn as Tucson City Magistrate. In addition to an active law practice he writes and lectures extensively on elder law issues. His book, “The Elder Law Answer Book,” is one of the principal treatises on elder law used by practitioners.