The Long View — Sally Balch Hurme: Getting Your Affairs in Order as You Get Older

Podcast by Morningstar | Aired: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Amy Arnott & Ben Johnson
Guest: Sally Balch Hurme

Episode Overview

This episode of The Long View features Sally Balch Hurme, a pioneer in elder law, author of renowned checklists for aging and estate planning, and former AARP policy leader. The conversation centers on practical steps for organizing personal, financial, and legal affairs as we age, with a focus on Hurme’s book Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans, and Final Wishes. Hurme draws from both decades of professional experience and her own journey as a caregiver, offering guidance to help individuals and families prepare for the future—making “getting your affairs in order” approachable and, ultimately, a gift to loved ones.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sally Balch Hurme’s Background in Elder Law

• Hurme describes her career evolution from a legal services attorney to a national elder law advocate. She highlights her passion for making complex issues accessible, especially through her “Checklist” book series.
  • “I've been practicing elder law for almost 50 years now… breaking down legal matters into understandable bits and sharing suggestions about how to address everyday legal concerns just really comes naturally to me.” — Sally Balch Hurme [02:38]

2. Personal Caregiving Experience—Lessons Learned

• Hurme shares how her husband's dementia diagnosis compelled her to apply her professional advice in real life: simplifying finances, downsizing, developing routines, and updating legal documents.
  • “I've put into practice what I've been preaching all along ... but putting into practice some of those things can be more difficult than it might appear on paper.” — Sally Balch Hurme [04:37]

3. Why Get Organized? Overcoming Psychological Barriers

• Many people get overwhelmed by the idea of organizing—or avoid it due to discomfort about mortality. Hurme reframes organizing as an act of simplification for daily life, not just end-of-life.
  • “Getting started to get organized is more about making your life simpler for tomorrow than just about what your perfectly organized life is going to look like at some distant time.” — Sally [07:15]

4. Planning as a Gift to Loved Ones

• Detailed checklists help survivors honor wishes and minimize added stress.
  • “Your family really can't carry out your wishes if they don't know what they are... don't make them guess about it. I consider that this gift of knowledge ... really happens every day.” — Sally [10:03]
  • Hurme notes how settled affairs can prevent conflict: “We know about families that get so torn apart when the siblings can't agree on what dad wanted...” [10:03]

5. Where to Start: Personal History as an Easy Entry

• Suggests beginning with personal stories, as these are familiar, meaningful, and an easier on-ramp to the broader task.
  • “A good starting point might be your own personal history... consider yourself as the leading actor in a story only you can tell.” — Sally [13:20]

6. Capturing and Preserving Family Legacy

• Discusses formats (scrapbooks, binders, digital folders) for preserving memories and practical tips like labeling photos.
  • “The format that you choose is probably going to be the format that you're most familiar with... whatever medium you want to use, just make sure somebody knows what the folder name is or where the notebooks are created or where any digitally could be found.” — Sally [15:18]

7. Physical and Digital Documentation: Key Documents

• Outlines the importance of storing vital records (birth, marriage, citizenship, divorce, insurance, banking) both in physical forms (preferably in a fireproof box) and digitally.
  • “You need to have copies of these various documents... Once you have them, put all of these documents in a key location.” — Sally [21:52]
  • Recommends portability and emergency preparedness.

8. Beneficiary Designations—A Crucial (Often Missed) Step

• Explains why it's essential to designate and regularly update beneficiaries on all accounts.
  • “Whomever you designate as the beneficiary will automatically get whatever is in the account when you die. It will be relatively quick and simple for them to access what is due to them.” — Sally [27:37]
  • Warns of potential disasters if, for example, ex-spouses remain beneficiaries after divorce. [31:28]

9. Medical Information: Carry a List of Medications

• Advises keeping an up-to-date list of prescriptions in your wallet or on your phone for both convenience and emergency situations.
  • “So two reasons, your convenience and your protection.” — Sally [32:28]

10. Pitfalls of Adding Children to Home Deeds

• Cautions against well-intentioned but risky moves like making a child a joint owner of your house.
  • “Adding a child to your home deed may sound like a good idea, but it really can create big consequences both for you and for your child...” — Sally [34:57]

11. Power of Attorney: Selecting and Implementing Agents

• Stresses the complexity of financial/medical POAs, especially with banks’ requirements. Selecting a trustworthy, well-informed agent is vital.
  • “Selecting the person that you want to be the agent is probably the most important step for your financial security that you can take.” — Sally [37:29]
  • Analogy: keys to a car – “They will drive your financial affairs where you want to go just because you can no longer do that driving yourself.” [37:29]

12. Digital Estate Planning: Managing Online Accounts

• Focuses on the challenges of managing digital assets and offers practical steps:
  1. Keep a secure, up-to-date list of online accounts and passwords.
  2. Specifically designate a digital executor in your POA.
  3. Set up “legacy contacts” on platforms like Facebook, Apple, and Google.
  • “This is a big mess and there really is no easy solution... Make a list of all of those things that are online that are password protected... designate someone through a specific power of attorney...” — Sally [40:54]

13. Resources for Further Help

• Recommends Beth Pinsker’s new book (My Mother’s Money) as well as her own Checklist for Family Caregivers for deeper information and practical support.
  • “Checklist for Family Caregivers ... goes into greater detail about how to be a caregiver...” — Sally [46:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You're not going to be around to tell your family what you want... Put it in writing now to ease the grief process for your family.” — Sally [10:03]
• “Your script doesn't need to be elaborate, but consider yourself as the leading actor in a story only you can tell.” — Sally [13:20]
• “One analogy would be to think of an extra set of keys to your car... They will drive your financial affairs where you want to go just because you are no longer able to do that driving yourself.” — Sally [37:29]
• “This is a big mess and there really is no easy solution... but be proactive, particularly with the accounts that you most frequently use.” — Sally [40:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:38–04:12 | Sally’s career background | | 04:37–06:46 | Personal caregiving experience and practical lessons | | 07:15–08:46 | Getting started and overcoming overwhelm | | 10:03–12:45 | Planning as a gift to loved ones | | 13:20–15:18 | Starting with personal history and family legacy | | 15:18–19:14 | Documenting family history and memories | | 21:52–27:02 | Gathering, storing, and accessing vital documents | | 27:37–31:28 | Naming and updating beneficiaries | | 32:28–34:18 | Keeping and sharing medication lists | | 34:57–36:41 | Dangers of joint home ownership with children | | 37:29–40:18 | Designating and informing POAs; bank forms issues | | 40:54–46:29 | Organizing digital assets and online footprint | | 46:56–47:53 | Book recommendations and further resources |

Overall Tone

The conversation maintains a warm, practical, and encouraging tone, with Hurme weaving humor and candor throughout. Her focus is on demystifying the process and empowering listeners to start with manageable steps, emphasizing that perfect organization isn’t the goal—just progress that makes everyday life and the legacy process easier for families.

Useful for anyone looking to begin—or inspire a loved one to begin—the process of organizing affairs, this episode offers both strategic guidance and human reassurance that every step forward counts.