In the quiet chaos of a family crisis, a single phone call can upend your world. For Beth Pinsker, CFP®, that call came when her 76-year-old mother, living independently in Florida, faced spinal surgery and needed help managing her daily life—and her money. What followed was nine months of medical ups and downs, culminating in her mother's passing and the grueling task of settling her estate. Pinsker, a retirement and financial planning columnist at MarketWatch, channeled this experience into her new book, My Mother's Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving. It's not just a memoir; it's a roadmap for the 63 million Americans—often sandwiched between their own lives and aging parents—thrust into financial caregiving roles.As a Certified Financial Planner who doesn't manage client money, Pinsker's expertise shines through her journalistic lens. "I just write about this stuff for educational purposes and to help guide people through holistic planning," she explains in a recent interview with the Positive Aging Community. Her book demystifies the "mess" of elder finances, blending raw storytelling with practical tools. Structured in five parts—Getting Started, The Cost of Care, How to Make the Money Last, Settling the Estate, and Workbooks—it's designed to turn dread into doable steps.