ABC's of Family Member Theft
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
10:00 AM to 11:40 AM

Speaker: Cynthia Healy, CPA, CFE, CSA
2 Ethics Hours
IRS: 18QC1-E-01480-21-O
CTEC: 1000-CE-4882

Session Description:
This course is designed to give the attendees best practice tools to prevent financial abuse of seniors by family members. Real-life cases are discussed and analyzed to teach what to do and what not to do when family members approach seniors for money or assets. Specific techniques are given to help seniors not feel overwhelmed or at the mercy of their family members.

Knowledge Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

#1: Attendees will learn the definition of Family Member Theft and how to identify it.

#2: Attendees will learn how financial elder abuse occurs.

#3: Attendees will learn how to protect themselves from the crime of financial elder abuse and still fulfill their desire to help loved ones.

 Cindy Healy, CPA, CFE, CSA

Cindy Healy found her voice working for the past fifteen years as a trustee with a roster of clients confident in her ability to manage their money and confident in her respect of their interests and independence. A CPA for thirty-five years, Cindy has long recognized the need to lend a voice to those not able to speak for themselves, whether it be in management of their money, health, home or family relations.  As a trustee, she has combined oversight of her clients’ finances with advocacy for the individuals she serves, a unique protection that supports their engagement in life-impacting decisions. In her work with seniors, Cindy has made it her constant mission to educate others how to protect the elderly from crimes of financial abuse and to help families successfully navigate the path forward through the aging process.

It is the heart-rending conversations in which she has been involved as a trustee -- about declining abilities, restricted driving and assisted living -- and the inspiring stories Cindy has witnessed that have encouraged her to expand her work to promote awareness about protection of the elderly and disabled while maintaining respect for the voice of the individual. Cindy began her career as an accountant and learned first-hand the frequency of financial crimes targeting seniors, the challenges of successful prosecution and the great toll – far beyond financial – on those victimized.  She knows that all-too-often a few simple steps taken as a safeguard could have prevented the situations she has seen. In 2003, Cindy formed Security Financial Advisors, a company she specifically designed to combine the fiduciary duties of a trustee with the personal intervention necessary to preserve the senior’s independence and include their participation in the vital decisions about their future.