A role-by-role reference for finding, vetting, and paying for the people on your care team — from a next-door neighbor to a licensed attorney.
The Care Team Builder lets you list who's already in your corner and see where the gaps are. This guide is the companion piece: for each role the tool tracks, here's where real people actually find one, what it tends to cost, how to tell a good fit from a bad one, and the life moments that make it worth doing now instead of later.
This isn't usually a role you "hire" — it's a trusted person you appoint, so the search starts with people already in your life: a close friend, sibling, cousin, or member of your chosen family who is organized and willing. If no one fits, ask an elder law attorney whether a licensed professional fiduciary makes sense for your situation, or check whether your state has a professional fiduciary licensing board or association you can search.
Naming a friend or family member costs nothing beyond the price of drafting the document itself, which an attorney typically bundles into a broader estate-planning fee. A professional fiduciary is different: fees are commonly hourly (often in the $75–$150/hour range) or a percentage of assets for larger estates — cost varies widely by region, so ask for a written fee agreement upfront.
Ask the person directly before naming them — don't assume. Look for someone organized, reachable, comfortable with paperwork and phone calls to banks or utilities, and without an obvious conflict of interest (for example, someone who might also stand to inherit and could be tempted to blur the lines). Name a backup ("successor") agent in case your first choice can't serve when needed.
Before any hospitalization, surgery, or travel — not after. This document only works if it's signed while you have full capacity, so solo agers in particular shouldn't wait for a health scare to prompt it.
Like power of attorney, this is someone you choose, not hire — a person willing to talk to your doctors and advocate for your stated wishes under pressure. If you truly have no one, ask your primary care provider's office or hospital patient advocate/social worker how your state's "default surrogate" or "health care decision-maker" hierarchy works when no proxy is named, since the answer varies by state.
Free if you're naming someone you know and using your state's free advance directive form (many states publish one). If an attorney is drafting it alongside other documents, it's typically included in that flat fee rather than billed separately — ask what's covered.
Pick someone who knows your values (not just your diagnosis list), who can stay calm and clear with medical staff, and who has actually discussed your wishes with you — not someone who will guess. Give them a copy of your living will or advance directive so they're not deciding blind.
As soon as you're an adult, and especially before any planned surgery, a major diagnosis, or a trip where you'd be far from home if something happened.
Start with people who are actually reachable on short notice: a neighbor, close friend, faith community member, or a fellow member of a local "village" or solo-aging support network. If you genuinely have no one nearby, your Area Agency on Aging (searchable through the Eldercare Locator) can point you toward local check-in and befriending programs.
Free in almost every case — this is a relationship, not a purchased service. If you supplement it with a paid daily check-in or reassurance service, cost varies widely by provider and region; ask for a quote before signing up.
Confirm they're willing to be listed (don't assume), that they'd actually answer a call from an unfamiliar hospital number, and that they know at least the basics: your address, your health care proxy's contact info, and where your key documents are kept.
Immediately — this is one of the lowest-effort, highest-value items on a care team, and it belongs on your phone's lock screen and in your wallet today, not on a someday list.
Literally the people who live near you — a knock-on-the-door relationship is often more useful in an actual emergency than a contact who lives across the country. Beyond your own street, look for local senior center reassurance-call programs, faith congregation care committees, or "village" networks that organize peer check-ins. Some medical alert monitoring services also offer scheduled wellness-check calls as an add-on.
Free for an informal arrangement with an actual neighbor. Paid reassurance-call or check-in services vary widely in price depending on frequency and provider — always ask for a specific quote rather than assuming a flat industry rate.
Proximity and reliability matter more than closeness — a neighbor who's home most days and answers their door beats a good friend who's a 40-minute drive away. Agree on a simple system in advance (a signal if you don't answer, or a spare key held with clear instructions).
If you live alone, especially after any fall, hospitalization, or health scare — this is the role that catches problems between scheduled visits from anyone else.
Often already in your life — the task is formalizing the relationship, not finding a stranger. If you're building this network from scratch, look at local senior centers, hobby and faith groups, LGBTQ+ community centers (which often run robust chosen-family and aging-support programs), and peer communities like the SoloSage Community Board.
Free — this is a reciprocal relationship, not a service you purchase. The only "cost" is the time it takes to build and maintain trust.
Look for reciprocity (you show up for each other, not just one direction), consistency over time, and a willingness to actually talk about logistics — what you'd need from them in an emergency, and what they can realistically offer.
Ongoing, and ideally before a crisis forces the conversation. Chosen family roles work best when they're discussed and agreed to ahead of time, the same way you'd confirm before naming someone your power of attorney.
Your state or local bar association's lawyer referral service is the standard starting point and typically screens for active licensure. For elder-law-specific needs, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) maintains a member directory searchable by state. If cost is a barrier, ask about legal aid organizations or law school legal clinics in your area, which often serve older adults at reduced or no cost.
Elder law and estate planning attorneys commonly charge $200–$400 per hour, and a full estate plan (will, power of attorney, health care proxy, and related documents) is often quoted as a flat fee, commonly in the $1,500–$3,500 range — but this varies widely by region and complexity, so always ask for a written flat-fee quote before hiring.
Ask how much of their practice is elder law or estate planning specifically, how they handle clients without an obvious family point of contact, and for a written fee agreement before any work begins. Verify their license is active and in good standing through your state bar's public attorney lookup — a real red flag is any attorney unwilling to put fees in writing.
Before drafting or updating a power of attorney, health care proxy, or will; after any major life change (a move, a death, a diagnosis); or any time you're worried about guardianship risk with no one clearly positioned to advocate for you.
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) directory lists fee-only advisors (meaning they don't earn commissions on products they recommend). The CFP Board's "Find a CFP" tool is another standard starting point and confirms certification status. The XY Planning Network specifically lists fee-only advisors who work with clients at various stages, including those without large existing portfolios.
Fee-only advisors commonly charge either a percentage of assets under management (often around 0.5%–1% annually), a flat project fee (often $1,500–$5,000 for a comprehensive plan), or an hourly rate (often $150–$400/hour) — actual pricing varies widely by advisor and region, so ask for a written fee schedule before committing.
Ask directly whether they are a fiduciary at all times when advising you (not just some of the time), and whether they are fee-only or also earn commissions — this is the single biggest factor in whether their advice is unbiased. Check their disciplinary history for free using FINRA BrokerCheck or the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database before hiring.
When you're building or adjusting a retirement income plan, after a major windfall or inheritance, when deciding whether to downsize a home, or any time a decision has enough zeros attached that a wrong guess would be expensive to unwind.