Without a spouse noticing changes in your financial habits, a periodic honest self-check is worth building into your routine.
Signs worth noting
- Increasing difficulty balancing accounts or paying bills on time
- Impulsive or uncharacteristic large purchases
- Confusion about recent transactions you don't remember making
Ask your check-in partner or a trusted friend to gently flag anything that seems different in your financial habits over time — an explicit ask, since this is easy to miss from the outside too.
This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Rules, costs, and program details vary and change over time — confirm current specifics with a licensed financial advisor or elder law attorney before making a decision.