How Can you tell if you have a Good Guardian and how can you help a Good Guardian do their job?

By Maria C. Gallo, Esquire

Reader Asks, How Can you tell if you have a good guardian and how can you help a good guardian do his/her job?

How long has the Guardian been in Place? He or she needs enough time to get the 'Wards' assets and liabilities in order and for that he needs time.

Needless to say, Guardians sometimes inherit a mess and they need time to sort it out. The Ward's family needs to cooperate with the guardian and provide him with items that are reasonably requested of him: invoices, detailed expenses, etc.

Try to take reasonable, rational steps to fix the problem. Sometimes the family's knee jerk reaction is to call the governor. Don't call the governor; call the guardian; call the vendors to negotiate better terms or to at least explain the situation and advise them to call the guardian for insight on when they can expect payment.

Good Guardians NEED YOUR COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE, NOT YOU GENERATING HIGHER GUARDIAN FEES BY YOUR CONSTANT SUSPICIONS.

Sometimes past due invoices generate late fees or deliquencies however as a guardian myself, I understand that guardians are usually in place because of family problems and/or turmoil. Guardians oftentimes come into situations where mortgages have not been paid, invoices are late, accounts are frozen, credit is bad etc.

Guardians are quite capable to picking up the phone and negotiating more favorable terms, waivers of late fees, extensions of service with promise of payment once Social Security gets re-directed and assets get secured and/or located. YOU GET MORE WITH HONEY THAN WITH VINEGAR.