Your phone buzzes with a text message that appears to be from your bank:

"Did you authorize a purchase on your debit card at a local apparel shop today? Reply YES if you recognize this. Reply NO if you don't, and a fraud specialist will contact you."

You reply, "No." A minute later, your phone rings. The man on the other end is calm, professional, and sympathetic.

"I'm from the fraud department. I'm going to help you stop this unauthorized transaction. I sent a six-digit code to your phone. Just read it back to me."

You do. He thanks you. The call ends.

Minutes later, three transfers leave your bank account. You call your bank and manage to cancel one. But two transfers totaling thousands of dollars are gone permanently. And because you voluntarily provided the man on the phone with that six-digit code, the bank is likely not liable for your loss.

This is a hypothetical example of what the FBI calls "takeover fraud." But the reality is that scams like this are targeting more and more seniors every single day.

On today's show, we review the latest data from the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report and some best practices that can help keep your money and personal info safe.

Are you ready for the Great Wealth Transfer?

Financial analysts estimate that older Americans will pass on as much as $124 trillion of personal wealth to their spouses, heirs, and charities over the next 25 years.

And, unfortunately, much of that wealth won't survive for another transfer. According to one study, 42% of heirs fall back to their pre-inheritance net worth in about 12 months. Meaning that, due to poor planning or poor fiscal discipline, the money is gone.

Whether you're a senior fine-tuning your legacy plan, a potential beneficiary, or a caregiver who might be tasked with settling a loved one's estate, folks have to plan ahead to make sure that wishes are honored and wealth is preserved, potentially for generations to come.

On today's show, we discuss some best practices for managing inheritances at both ends of a family's wealth transfer and taking a generational approach to comprehensive financial planning.

"Tom and Linda" are a married couple. They're both 55-years-old. Tom works as an operations manager for a regional manufacturer, and Linda works in corporate finance. They are both targeting retirement at age 65.

Complicating that 10-year runway is a situation that's becoming more and more common among Tom and Linda's generation: they're "sandwiched" between taking care of Linda's parents, who are in their early 90s, and their 25-year-old son, who is still living at home with them.

On today's show, we explain how comprehensive financial planning can help couples like "Tom and Linda" manage complex, multigenerational family variables while maintaining progress towards their retirement goals.