Monday, October 19, 2009

Introduction

This information is provided in the hopes you will learn from my experience.
(Ignore the dates as I'm trying to post so that the last entry shows up at the end. I'll note actual dates when relevant).

This is a true story involving three people in a classic case of elder financial abuse (exploitation); my mother, her youngest son (the thief) and me

No time to read the whole blog? See the post titled  "SUMMARY - HIGHLIGHTS - SOLUTIONS"

The mother:

84 years old
High school graduate
Blind due to macular degeneration.
Became a widow in 1987.
In hospice due to cancer
Two sons

The oldest son (me):

Adopted at six months of age
48 years old
BS degree
Honorably discharged from the US Air Force as a Major
Airline Pilot and published author
Wife and two children
I consider myself very knowledgeable with all matters financial. I subscribe to several financial publications and have read several books on subjects such as insurance, personal finance and stock investing.

The youngest son (from here on referred to as XX):

Adopted at about two years of age (not sure)
46 years old
He has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. Bipolar?
Associates Degree
single

Prior to my fathers death in 1987, my parents lived in a two story home. I was moving around the country flying with different companies wherever I could find work. XX worked and was paying rent to live in peoples homes (typically the lower floor of a home). When my father died, I moved back home to help my mother out and to also re-evaluate my own life (flying jobs were scarce).

For the next few years, I worked as a temp and eventually went back to work as a flight instructor. In 1990, my life turned around as I got married and was hired by a commuter airline. I left home for good. For the next 11 years, all was well. I was raising a family and went from apartments to my first and second homes. XX continued renting and working.

It's after 9/11 that things begin to fall apart.