Plus, says Michael Gilfix, an elder-law attorney in Palo Alto, Calif., people tend to underestimate their holdings or forget about accounts, so you may find that you have more than you think.

The two bankers, Phelps and Elder, sat off in a corner behind the dinner table, where they could finish their discussion of the new usury law and its effect on chattel security loans.

But elder law attorneys say families should draw up a formal personal care contract.