Dear Savvy Senior: Can you provide some tips that can help me find out how my elderly parents are doing financially and what, if any, plans they've made for long-term care? I don't want to pry into their affairs or offend them, but I do want to know what's going on so when something happens to one of them, I can be prepared. - In the Dark

Dear In: Most adult children don't know much about their parents' financial situation, whether they have enough money to live on, or to pay for the care they may need some day. And most families have not had discussions about their end-of-life issues, and what preparations they have made. But they need to!