Many "financial planners" were, in the past, required to have a simple training course that was taken by people who were planning to sell mutual funds. Pretty rudimentary. In those days, people who had taken the course that stockbrokers take were much more knowledgeable, and many people calling themselves "financial planners" later took a six-component course leading to be a Chartered Financial Planner (later changed, and now the designation is "Certified Financial Planner"). In recent years regulations have been tightened a good deal. However, with the amount of money to which you refer, it's important to have an accountant advise, as they have thorough knowledge of the laws, and in cases such as yours, making any mis-steps can be costly. And accountants are required to keep up-to-date as new rules come out. As you know, the tax rules change frequently. Many accountants are quite conservative, and may suggest investing systems that persons willing to deal with some level of risk would find more safe that they could handle. In our area, if one invests in assets where the amount of the principal can't grow, one loses. All of the return that such principal develops is developed currently. The tax man wants to talk to each of us annually relative to our current income - and in Canada, some types of investment income is taxed at a much lower rate than others (mainly the kind that most folks use). If one earns about 4.5%, and is taxed at 33%, that takes the amount of after-tax money left in hand at 3%. And if the size of your principal can't grow - you need to add some current earnings to it annually in order to keep your purchasing power intact. If you'd given the bank $10,000.00 15 years ago in a 5-year guaranteed certificate, and renewed it twice ... ... when you invested it, the $10,000. would have bought a decent car. Not now, 15 years later. The government quotes figures for inflation, i.e. growth in consumer price index ... ... but most of us don't believe them, as our experience is that prices that we pay are rising faster then the recent 2 - 2.5% that they tell about. Here in Canada, for example, people have been telling us lately that the index doesn't include energy cost!!! Check out your various courses available carefully with a fully qualified person - in your Mom's state and yours. Not in the state of confusion, though, we hope. Moreover, if interest rates rise, as many expect them to do, especially in the U.S., carrying their huge government plus individual debt, plus government going deeper into debt each year (under a conservative regime, no less!) another problem arises for bond holders. If they hold them to maturity, they'll receive the full face amount, but if they want to sell them prior to maturity, the price offered by a potential purchaser will be much lower, for s/he can buy a current issue paying much higher rate of interest. My bias is in favour of high quality stocks for the major part of one's portfolio, even for an old fart like me, past 756 - drat this keyboard ... that figure was supposed to be 75: I ain't in the running against Methuselah! For reasons that I won't go into here, but will tell you if you email me. Good wishes for your Mom's choosing to deal with her assets in a way that won't back-fire later on either her or you her offspring. ole joyful

AdellaBedella, My Grandma (who lived with us after Grandpa died, my Mom got sick, and who died in 1950) used to say, "Patience is a virtue, ... possess it if you can, seldom found in woman, ... never found in man". Some patience in this case might pay off for you. On a bit of a different topic, there are some people who set up the "foundmoney" system to alert people to money that may be owed to them that they aren't aware of. Quite a bit of that info is available free - if one knows where to look. But just how much more info they have to offer than we usually find at no cost (except surfing time) I don't know. Good wishes. joyful

Just spent part of the afternoon arranging with stockbroker to make a gift of stocks that have gone up in value to a major charity, to distribute to a number of others. When I cash the stock, put the proceeds in the bank and write cheques to the charities, come tax time I have to deduct the purchase price from the sale price and pay income tax at regular rate on half of the difference. But when I donate them to a charity, I avoid paying income tax on the capital gain. For the past couple of years I've been able to avoid federal income tax ... largely by gifts to charities, churches and making political contributions. We had both federal and provincial elections last year, so larger political contributions, and larger charitable contributions, helped avoid tax on an increase in income, last year. I like them apples better! ole joyful.

Gifts are good to give out to others due to they can be used for shopping at stores for only they can know and buy what they like. Grocery gift cards are a good one too, in fact if grandparents are doing the cooking all the time for these expensive meals, I see them here and that is a huge cost for them, help them by giving them gift cards for those and not break their budget or go without after its all over, food has become hugely expensive and hard to buy at times. Gas gift cards for those driving cars. Restaurants, book stores, there are such a variety of gift cards that can be bought and what they like and can choose what they like themselves. But think of ones you are giving gift cards and will they use them as all many not like them or not go out and about to use them. I caught this show where they were talking about gift cards and one loves them so much for everything from going to movies, to food, to gas, to shopping all those things to do. Another said she has a huge pile of them and hates them, feels they are a unthought gift. Another said she likes to actually open up a gift given. I tried that with my brother and sil years ago as I couldn't afford their expensive taste so thought I would give card where they shopped back then and they hated them said that is an unthought gift. There are many that are hard to buy for and you give up then as they aren't happy with anything. I would love to have something like grocery gift card, bookstore gift card, for me those are useful and great gifts to have but I have no one to give anything like that to me except if I do it to myself. LOL kathy