Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
J
JaxxJill43 Asked November 2017

Should I have my name on my mothers bank account?

My mom has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's. My name has been on my mom's bank account ever since my dad passed away 12 years ago. Someone told me that I should take my name off of her account for legal reasons. He said if someone were to sue her they can come after me and if someone sued me they could come after her. I have DPOA. I recently notified her bank of this.

freqflyer Nov 2017
JaxxJill43, I had my name on my elderly's Dad's bank accounts, it was set up to read "Bob Smith or Freqfyer Smith". That way I was able to sign checks for Dad to pay for whatever bills came in.

What would create a lawsuit regarding your Mom? Does she still drive when she should have given up the car keys? Set fire to the neighbor's house? Rough up the next door neighbor?

If there isn't any reason for Mom being sued, but you are still worried, you might want to check with your insurance carrier about having an "umbrella policy" in your Mom's name, and have one in your name.... these policies are $1M at a cost of around $250 per year. Well worth the peace of mind.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter