Successful Aging through Financial Empowerment (SAFE)

Successful Aging thru Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Brochure
SAFE was created by Dr. Peter Lichtenberg, PhD, director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University and one of the country's foremost researchers in safeguarding seniors from financial exploitation. Watch SAFE Director LaToya Hall's latest interview on scam awareness and prevention. Gracefully Greying Interview

SAFE will:
• Help older adults recover financially and emotionally after being victimized by financial scams or identity theft.
• Educate older adults, and the people who care for them, about scamming and identity theft techniques, identification, protection and reporting.
• Strengthen financial literacy through educational, interactive workshops.

To recieve SAFE program announcements join our "Successful Aging thru Financial Empowerment" list HERE

SAFE PROGRAM RESOURCES

Free One-on-one Financial Coaching

This service is available to seniors and their family or friend caregivers who have been a victim of scam or ID theft. We can meet in your home or our office. Our assistance is completely safe, confidential and free. Contact us directly or be referred through a partner agency and let us help you with:
- Budgeting
- Record-keeping
- Scam Prevention or Identity Theft Recovery includes:

  • Contacting credit reporting agencies 
  • Filing police reports & more 
  • Closing compromised accounts
  • Placing fraud alerts on your credit report 
  • Registering consumer complaints

The first Friday of every month we present expert speakers with trusted information for Financial Health & Safety.

Recordings
January 7, 2022 - Attorney Howard Collens presents: Estate Planning (YouTube)
December 2, 2021-
Mortgage Broker Joe Sheeran presents Refinancing vs Reverse Mortgages (YouTube)

Free Financial Empowerment Workshops
Invite a SAFE expert to speak to your group. Presentations are free and last about an hour. All materials provided. 

  • Difficult Conversations about finances
  • Scams and Identity Awareness:  Are You at Risk? - Learn why some people are especially vulnerable to financial predators and how to strengthen your defenses. Get details on how victims are targeted and manipulated so you can spot threats before savings and identity vanish. (Also offered for professionals.)
  • Managing Someone Else's Money
  • Protecting your Loved One from Scams
For personal assistance or to schedule a workshop or speakers, contact SAFE program coordinator LaToya Hall at l.hall@wayne.edu or 313-664-2608.

Resources

Financial Vulberability Survey - Answer a few questions to determine your risk of fraud, scams and financial exploitation.If you are concerned that your financial decision-making is changing as you age, this questionnaire can help. Your results are completely confidential. The computer does the scoring for you you simply print or download the results. Next Steps suggest ways to protect yourself if you are at increased risk. Learn more HERE on Dr. Lichtenberg OlderAdultNestEgg.com

Learn about Brain Aging and Health - Our brain changes throughout our lifetime. It grows rapidly during childhood and early adulthood. Then it prunes and refines connections for the rest of our life.  Health and lifestyle impact how our brain ages and contribute to changes in thinking and memory.  This means we can do things every day to promote the good health and function of our amazing brain. Learn more HERE on Lichtenberg OlderAdultNestEgg.com


Related Links
OlderAdultNestEgg.com - Free online tools to access financial decision-making abillites.
Financial Gerontology - Brief descriptions of IOG research focused on financial issues facing older adults
Financial Decision-Making - Scales and tools to measure the ability of older adults to make independent financial decisions
Taking Control of Your Financial Health - Four interactive workshops to improve financial literacy

SAFE and its research is supported by grants from:   National Institute of Justice, Foundation for Financial Health, Michigan Aging and Adult Services PRVNT program, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, State of Michigan, Wayne State University Technology Commercialization, American House Foundation and the Mary Thompson Foundation.