I'm I'm your co-host, Lance A. Slattened and joined, as always, by my esteemed friend and colleague, Dr. George Ackerman, also known as Sharon's son, George. Welcome. How are you?

It's good to see you, and I'm excited to have another episode today, but just to make sure everyone is aware that today is actually April, Parkinson's

Awareness Month around the country. So it's an important time for caregiving, but also

specifically Parkinson's and really excited again to always be back with my brother in advocacy

here, Lance. Thank you. And George, we have a special guest today joining us.

Michael Lewis, Michael is the Chief Behavioral Officer at Family Legacy Financial Solutions, and

also the author of Getting Out of Your Own Way, a caregiver's guide to making better financial

decisions.

Michael, thank you so much for joining us here on the Care Advocates.

How are you? I'm doing very well, and thank you for much for joining us here on the care advocates. How are you?

I'm doing very well, and thank you for having me. It's our pleasure. It's our pleasure.

You know, the care advocates is all about advocating and helping family caregivers who honestly don't know what they don't know. And, you know, the work you're doing and you're going to share

a little bit of that here for our viewers and listeners in a moment is really crucial and vital, especially when you find yourself caring for

a loved one, when you start looking at financial decisions and, you know, different options

available and you're here to help educate us and our audience on that. And I'm going to turn it

over to George and let him get the show started.

Thanks, Lance, and thank you, Michael, for joining us.

Unfortunately, this topic is one. I wish I had met all of you long before my mother's struggle and when we lost her battle with Parkinson's because we spent about, I think it was $12,000 a month

the last year of her life. And I think that if I had been a little bit more aware, maybe we could have planned better.

So as we start the show, it's wondering in your view and your expertise, why do good caregivers make bad financial decisions?

That's a great question.

And I think it really just boils down to the amount of stress that's involved in the caregiving journey.

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