Many families hire a caregiver for hands-on help and then discover that the house also has a pile of envelopes, a checkbook, and a few recurring bills that nobody has been handling since the family started making phone calls. The question is not whether the caregiver is trustworthy. The question is which money task belongs to a person who is not the family, and which belongs to the family or a professional the family chooses.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

This is a practical sorting, not legal or financial advice. Where a bank, an accountant, or an attorney is already involved, that professional should set the rules for accounts and signatures.

Step 1: List Every Money Task

Write down each task that touches money in an ordinary month. Include opening mail, paying bills, checking statements, writing checks, handling insurance paperwork, tracking renewals, and any task that needs a login or card.

Write here, one per line:

1. ________________________________ Who does it now: ____________

2. ________________________________ Who does it now: ____________

3. ________________________________ Who does it now: ____________

4. ________________________________ Who does it now: ____________

Step 2: Mark Each Task Family, Shared, or Professional

Mark a task Family if it needs a signature, a PIN, a card, a password, a check, or access to an account. Mark it Shared if the caregiver can carry the item but the family opens and acts on it. Mark it Professional if a named bookkeeper, bank contact, or accountant does it under an arrangement the family has made directly with them.

Step 3: Set the Caregiver's Limit in Writing

A practical limit for the caregiver is that they may carry sealed mail and bills to the family's table, unopened, and may hand over a receipt the family asked for. Put that sentence in the duties paper, and ask the agency to confirm it in writing.

Signs to Walk Away

  • The caregiver or agency asks for a login, a bank card, a checkbook, or a signature on a check.
  • The agency offers to handle the bills without naming who holds the account.
  • A money task is added to the duties after the start date with no change to the written limit.

What to Write Down

Keep one page with three columns: task, owner, and the written limit. Update it when a task moves. If a task moves to the caregiver, the page should show who approved the move and when it was agreed in writing.

Family-held money tasks, in one sentence: ____________________________________________