Serious Illness Resources/Handouts

Understanding How a Pro Bono Financial Planner Can Help. An exercise that shows the various ways a financial planner can help a client.

Handling Finances in the Event of a Serious Illness. A handout describing typical expenses associated with a serious illness and possible financial resources.

Insurance and Benefits

Understanding Your Health-Care Coverage. A handout describing basic health-care plans and government programs offering medical benefits.

Reviewing Health-Care Plans. A list explaining the features and costs of above-average and good health-care plans.

Getting Benefits. A handout of ideas for obtaining health-care coverage, long-term disability plans, and life insurance plans.

Understanding Disability Coverage. A handout describing how disability plans work.

Recording Disability Benefits. A worksheet to record key disability benefits information.

Assessing Resources

Making Financial Plans with Family Members. A handout about making financial plans and involving family members in those plans.

Recording Financial Resources. A handout listing sources of income, lump-sums of cash, long-term care benefits, and medical benefits.

Identifying People to Help. A checklist of possible tasks to delegate in the face of a serious illness, as well as key contacts for financial help.

Identifying Assets, Debts, and Net Worth. A worksheet clients can use to list all their assets and liabilities to create a financial inventory.

Cash Flow

Handling Tax Issues. A handout of typical tax deductions and credits available for medical expenses.

Lowering Health-Care Costs. A handout of ideas for cutting medical costs.

Spending Plan for the Duration of an Illness. A worksheet designed for creating monthly spending plans with high medical expenses in mind.

Making a Spending Plan. An exercise clients can use to create a simple budget.

Using a Bill-Payment Calendar. A handout showing how to use a calendar for a simple bill-payment reminder system.

Making Plans to Pay Bills. A worksheet for tracking bill-payment negotiations.

Getting Family Loans Without a Family Feud. A handout about establishing rules for borrowing from family members in an emergency.

Special Needs

Planning for the Disabled Child. A handout describing financial tools and resources for the care of a disabled child.

Reviewing Long-Term Care Insurance for Alzheimer's Patients. A list of questions useful in reviewing long-term care policies for family members with Alzheimer's disease.

Looking at Issues with Children and Health-Care Coverage. A discussion of how to review health-care plans with children's issues in mind.

Federal Programs

Showing Disability and Applying for SSA Benefits. A handout explaining how to apply for disability and a worksheet to track your efforts.

Understanding Government Health-Care Programs. A handout that briefly explains Medicare, the Hill-Burton program, and Medicaid.

Creditors and Debt

Understanding Credit Life and Credit Disability Insurance. A handout explaining credit life and credit disability insurance for loans.

Understanding Credit Reports. A handout about reviewing your credit report and building good credit.

Managing Debt. A handout of tips on juggling bills and basic information about credit reports.

Estate Planning

Planning Your Estate. A handout describing basic estate planning documents.

Finding Financial and Legal Papers. A worksheet listing typical financial records and where they are.

Understanding Will and Estate Issues. A handout of definitions for common estate terminology.