My mom was widowed 6 months ago after 62 years of marriage. She is extremely naive, has no conception of handling money, lives alone (in a home I own) and is very lonely. She met an 80 something man in church last week. They went to lunch and spent the rest of the day and evening together. I have not met him yet, but family and friends are telling me I should have him "checked out". How do I insure my mother and what little savings she has in not put at risk?
I am careful to ensure that he always has money in an account outside of the Trust with which he can do whatever he pleases (including giving it away). The Trust just means that no one can trick him into signing away all his assets. A side benefit of creating the trust is that it also includes a healthcare directive, a will and a financial power of attorney. We had to track down life insurance policies, deeds, everything as part of the process. It was easier to do this over time than to wait until he passed away and then try to sort it all out. Another benefit is that when I have a question about what to do, the Trust attorney who sees these concerns every day is a great resource. He can sometimes talk to Dad. As an objective outsider, the attorney's advice can be more persuasive.
There are many people who take advantage of the elderly. We had issues with caregivers and close family friends coming to my Dad with sad stories. At one time, I got a call from his mechanic who was concerned that Dad was sending a person who worked in the grocery store to have her car fixed and Dad was going to pay the bill. In another case, I am still finding receipts that in the end added up to thousands of dollars sent to a young woman who had convinced Dad that his sister had promised her that Dad would help her after his sister died. In both of these cases, no amount of searching on-line or "checking out" would have uncovered the fraud. I am proud of my Dad for his big heart AND I can sleep at night knowing that the bulk of his assets are protected.
In the end, I hope that your concerns are unfounded and that your Mom has found a nice companion.
That being said, like ohjeez pointed out, you can do your search online. Where I am from, you can do a public records search on the clerk of courts site and the muni courts websites, too. Also real estate property info on the auditor website. This state is extremely user friendly. Not so in some others.
If it was you what would she have done? If it your teenage daughter what would you do?