Using Behavioral Questionnaires With Clients

Here are some tips for using profiling questionnaires with your clients:

Tell your clients they can complete the questionnaire at any time, anywhere they want. (The application is cloud-based, so clients can fill it out at home and you still get the results.)

Remind clients that part of your job is to reduce their exposure to unnecessary risk. For older adults, financial exploitation is a big risk.

Make it clear that taking the questionnaire is optional. If a client is not comfortable, he or she doesn't have to do it. However, stress this may help them recognize their risk of financial fraud before it occurs and allow for easier transition of decision-making authority down the road.

Ok, so how do I introduce the subject to my clients? Here are some proven conversation starters:

Suggested Comments

We all have a plan in mind about who we can count on ‘when something happens’. The challenge is that we often neglect to share that plan with the people we have in mind.

If you [an older adult] share your thinking with the people on whom you are depending prior to the time of need, it allows for all involved to be a part of the conversation and to create solutions that work for all.

By recognizing the problem early, you can obtain help gradually and safely maintain control over your finances for a longer period of time.

This screen is a way for you to “check in” with yourself and provide a more objective way of determining when you may need to get other people to assist you.