双语朗读美文：如何让母亲晚年无忧

　　摘录：女人们都不喜欢提问，但是她们确实应该多问问题。

　　This Mother's Day, give your mom something that will help her sleep better at night. Women live about five years longer than men, on average, so chances are your mom will be winding down her golden years solo. Here are some steps you can take to help safeguard her finances and give both of you peace of mind:

　　Inform: 'First, everybody should know what assets they have and how they're titled,' says Roberta Anderson, senior vice president, private banking at People's United Bank in Greenwich, Conn. There is a generational divide here, she says: Younger women are more likely up to speed than those in their 80s and 90s.

　　在这个母亲节，送给母亲一些能让她晚上睡得更踏实的礼物吧!平均来说，女性比男性的寿命长约五年，所以你的母亲很可能会独自度过一段金色的晚年时光。下文为你提供了一些在财务上保护她的方法，让你们都能获得内心的平静。

　　If your mom isn't accustomed to doing so, encourage her to attend meetings with any financial, tax or estate-planning advisers. If she's already a widow or her husband is ailing, have her bring along a trusted friend or relative, says Ms. Anderson. And encourage her to be an active participant. No matter their age, 'women don't tend to ask the questions, and they should,' Ms. Anderson says.

　　告知：“首先，每个人都应该了解他们拥有哪些资产以及有哪些权利，”罗贝塔?安德森(Roberta Anderson)说。安德森是银行People's United Bank私人银行部门的高级副总裁，该银行总部位于康涅狄格州格林威治市。她说，在这一问题上，不同年龄的人差异很大：相较于那些八九十岁的女性，年纪更轻的女性或许更能掌握资产的状况。

　　如果你的母亲并不习惯于这么做，请你鼓励她与财务顾问、税务顾问或者是不动产规划顾问进行面谈。安德森表示，如果她的丈夫已经去世或身体不适，请让她带一位值得信赖的朋友或亲属一起前往。也请鼓励她做一位积极的参与者。无论年龄高低，“女人们都不喜欢提问，但是她们确实应该多问问题，”安德森称。

　　Pay especially close attention to beneficiary designations on retirement accounts. These supersede the will. So if a husband's ex-wife is still listed as the beneficiary of his 401(k) account--a common oversight--his widow will be out of luck.

　　对于退休账户受益人的指定应特别留神。它们优于遗嘱的效力。因此，如果某位丈夫的前妻仍被列为他401(k)退休账户的受益人(这种疏忽非常常见)，这对于他的遗孀来说可是个坏消息。

　　Social Security benefits, too, warrant careful planning. Couples should almost always maximize the higher of their two benefits--often the husband's--by deferring the start of that benefit for as long as possible. This increases the payout for the couple, but especially for the surviving spouse--often the wife--whose benefit will be based on the higher amount.

　　社会保障福利也同样有必要进行仔细的规划。夫妻应该总是最大限度地利用俩人较高的那份福利金，这份福利金通常是丈夫的，夫妻应该尽可能地延迟申领这份福利金的起始时间。这会提高夫妻所领取的福利金的金额，特别对一方去世后的另一方(往往是妻子)尤其有利，因为尚存配偶的领取金额取决于较高的那份福利金。

　　If your mom is vulnerable to financial abuse, whether due to 'naiveté, confusion, or actual dementia,' inform her what the risks are and teach her to ignore emails, phone calls and mail from unfamiliar sources, says Michael Schulman, an accountant and financial planner in New York.

　　来自纽约的会计师、理财规划师迈克尔?舒尔曼(Michael Schulman)表示，不管是因为“单纯、困惑还是老年痴呆”之中的哪个原因，如果你的母亲容易受到财务欺诈，那么你必须要告知她风险所在并教她不要理会陌生的电子邮件、电话和信件。

　　'When my dad died, I explained to my mom, 'Don't respond to emails, period,' ' says Mr. Schulman, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants elder-planning task force.

　　舒尔曼表示：“在我父亲过世后，我向母亲解释，‘一句话，不要回复电子邮件。’”舒尔曼是美国注册会计师协会(American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)老年规划工作组的成员。

　　Insulate: 'At some point there's going to be leakage in the system,' he adds. Insulate your mom to the extent possible, he says. Help her automate her incoming and outgoing funds with direct deposit (Social Security payments already arrive this way) and, if she's computer-literate, online bill paying.

　　隔绝：“在某些时候，系统中会出现漏洞，”他又说。把你母亲和外界潜在的危险因素隔绝开，他说。通过直接存款(社会保障福利的付款已经可以自动到帐了)，帮助母亲实现进账和出账的自动化，另外，如果你母亲会使用电脑，你还可以教她在网上缴付账单。

　　Ms. Anderson, trustee of her widowed, 90-year-old mother's revocable trust, set up small checking and credit-card accounts that her mom can tap for incidentals--'at-risk money,' Ms. Anderson calls it.

　　安德森是她90岁寡居母亲可撤消信托的受托人，她设置了小额支票账户和信用卡账户作为母亲可以动用的零花钱。安德森将这笔钱称作“风险资金”。

　　How at-risk? The other day, Ms. Anderson visited her mom at her upscale continuing-care retirement community. 'She was sitting on her couch in a pile of sweaters,' Ms. Anderson says.

　　何来“风险”之说?一天，安德森到母亲居住的高档持续关怀退休社区看望她。安德森称：“我母亲坐在沙发上，身边堆满了毛衣。”

　　The facility had invited a vendor in for the day, and Ms. Anderson's mother ended up charging 0 worth of sweaters to her credit card. 'I think I may have bought too much,' she confessed to her daughter. 'Yes, I think you did,' replied Ms. Anderson. The vendor has refused to take back the sweaters. Ms. Anderson plans to lower her mom's credit-card limit to 0. (She also plans to complain to the facility.)

　　Interact: 'As your mom gets less and less competent, you get more and more involved,' says Mr. Schulman, who regularly reviews his mother's account statements even though she still lives independently in another state. Be alert to unusual account activity or to new joint-account holders. These might include new 'friends' or distant--or not-so-distant--relatives.

　　养老机构当天邀请来一位商人，结果安德森的母亲就用信用卡买了总共价值600美元的毛衣。安德森的母亲向女儿忏悔道：“我可能是买的太多了。”安德森回答道：“是的，你的确是买多了。”这位商人拒绝接受退货。安德森计划将母亲的信用卡额度下调至500美元。(她还打算向母亲的养老机构投诉此事。)

　　互动：舒尔曼表示：“随着母亲的能力越来越弱，你的参与度应该越来越高。”舒尔曼会定期检查他母亲的银行对账单，尽管他母亲仍然独立地居住在另外一个州。要警惕异常的账户活动或新的联名账户持有人。这些人可能包括新“朋友”、远房亲戚或者“关系不那么远的”亲戚。

　　'Joint assets are a big red flag,' says Patricia R. Beauregard, a lawyer at Pullman & Comley in Bridgeport, Conn. In one case, a brother taking care of his incapacitated, widowed sister 'was also helping himself to her money on a pretty regular basis,' she says. He had made himself a joint account owner, engineered excess distributions from her retirement plans, and steered those into the joint accounts.

　　Ms. Beauregard says it's a good idea to pay care givers--even family members--for their time so they don't grow resentful and start stealing.

　　帕特里夏?R?博勒加德(Patricia R. Beauregard)表示：“联名资产是一个大的危险信号。”博勒加德是康涅狄格州布里奇波特市Pullman & Comley律师事务所的律师。她说，在一个案件中，一位照顾伤残寡居姐姐的弟弟“同时也一直在非常频繁地帮自己获取姐姐的钱财。”他将自己设置成了账户联名人，为姐姐的退休计划申请了超额支取，并将这笔钱打到了联名账户中。

　　博勒加德表示，向照顾自己的人(即使是家人)支付酬劳是个不错的主意，这样他们就不会心有不甘并开始偷窃了。

　　If your mom is still insurable, consider getting her a long-term care insurance policy. That, quips Ms. Beauregard, or a younger man.

　　如果你的母亲还可以投保，请考虑为她购买一份长期护理保险。博勒加德开玩笑说，或者一个比她年轻的男士。