Question: Over the past several years, I have been taking care of two elderly relatives. I interact with their accountants to take care of their finances since I have experience as a bookkeeper. In addition, I frequently visit each of them to make sure that they are being well cared for.

A friend told me that what I am doing is acting as a conservator and that I could be paid to do this work. Is this true? Please tell me more about the job of a conservator and how I can become a more professional caretaker. — Joan

Response: Conservators are appointed by the court to manage and protect the personal care and/or finances, of someone who has been found by a judge to be unable to do so for himself.

Conservators often serve as advocates for the elderly. The responsibilities and duties of conservators are set forth in The Handbook for Conservators, published by the Judicial Council of California and available from the offices of any Superior Court Clerk in the state of California.

There are two kinds of conservators, a conservator of the person and a conservator of the estate.

A conservator of the person is appointed when someone needs help taking care of his or her daily needs. The conservator of a person arranges for the conservatee's care and protection. He/she decides where the conservatee will live and makes arrangements for the conservatee's health care, meals, clothing, personal care, housekeeping, transportation and recreation.

A conservator of the estate is appointed when someone needs help managing finances. This could involve locating and taking control of the conservatee's assets, collecting income due to the conservatee, making a budget to show what the conservatee can afford, paying the conservatee's bills, investing the conservatee's money and protecting the conservatee's assets.

In many cases, one person is appointed both conservator of the person and conservator of the estate. Each case is different depending on the particular needs of the client. A conservator might do all aspects of the job or contract services such as house cleaning or accounting.

Conservators often have backgrounds in social services, or have worked in trust departments of fiduciary organizations such as a bank. They must enjoy helping people, and solving problems. They must be very good at detail and willing to keep extensive and thorough records.

Employment Outlook:
While this is a small, specialized field, as the population ages, there will be a continuing and increasing need for responsible, competent professional conservators. Over the next 25 years, the number of adults over 60 will almost double. Many of these people will own significant assets inherited from the World War II generation. These factors will increase demand for various professional fiduciaries who can serve as conservators for persons or estates and trustees charged with the management of trusts.

Salary:
The Superior Court sets fee rates for Conservators ranging from approximately $30 per hour to $100 per hour depending on the location area and the scope of services. A conservator in private practice can make anywhere from $25,000 to $60,000 per year. A person performing conservator type services (not technically a conservator, but working on conservator type issues) for a bank or financial institution earns approximately $30,000-$70,000 per year.

Beginning Conservators earn from $40 to $65 per hour. The hourly earnings of a conservator assistant depends on negotiation between the conservator and assistant.

According to a conservatorship firm in Los Angeles, conservator assistant starting pay ranges from $12 to $13 per hour.

Registration Requirements:
I recommend that you attend probate court sessions to observe what the conservators do.

To build up a practice as a professional conservator, it is important to develop a reputation both with the judges in probate court and with attorneys involved in care of the elderly. While many conservators are social workers or attorneys, there are no specific degrees or training required.

However, conservators are required to register with the court or California Department of Justice with the county clerk for the local jurisdiction in which they want to be appointed. The conservator must present to the court 3 clients who want to use the conservator's services. The state registration fee is $385.

The conservator is under court supervision and has to report to the court a year after being appointed and then every two years thereafter. All fiduciary conservators must be bonded.

For further information, contact:
Statewide Registry of Private Conservators and Guardians
California Attorney General's Office
1300 I Street, Suite 1130
P.O. Box 903447
Sacramento, CA 94203-4470
(916) 322-9288
Fax (916) 444-3651
caag.state.ca.us/conservator
Professional Association
Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC)
P.O. Box 661813
Sacramento, CA 95866-1813
(916) 927-8836
www.pfac-pro.org
Contact: Carol Loeffler
Southern Region
Contact: Sherry Trisler
(818) 705-6760
Fax (818) 952-2659
E-mail: stissler@msn.com
This association of conservators serves an educational purpose by keeping conservators abreast of the changes in their field.

Membership benefits include networking and professional development opportunities at meetings and conferences, and participation in a mentor program where a PFAC professional member volunteers to mentor beginning conservators via roundtable discussions, job shadowing or personal one on one meetings. They also provide a referral list of professional members and increased credibility with the courts and community of practice.

Associate membership requirements, which is open to beginning conservators, are three referral letters. Note: PFAC offers to nonmembers for $35 a newsletter and meeting notice.

Training Options and Costs
According to a PFAC representative, conservators currently are not state certified but PFAC is lobbying to make certification a state requirement and the organization predicts that a bill will be passed soon. Further, there are no educational requirements for becoming a conservator but there are professional development programs offered by schools and/or professional associations. For example:
California State University, Fullerton
Extended Education Office
800 N. State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92834-6870
(714) 278-2611
Fax (714) 278-2088
www.csufextension.org
The Extension department offers a one year 5-course Certificate in Professional Fiduciary Management for Conservators (PFAC) program which is designed to prepare students for the full range of duties commonly performed by conservators. Most of the instructors are PFAC members. According to a program representative, this may be offered in the near future at an off-site location in the Los Angeles area. The certificate is awarded upon completion of the program requirements and at least 60 semester units of college level work and permission of the program manager. The cost of the program is approximately $1255.

Job Resources
According to a PFAC representative, it is recommended that conservator trainees gain a clientele by getting a list of attorneys specializing in elder law and/or in will, trusts, and estate planning to contact and market themselves as a possible candidate for conservator position with the firm. According to a Los Angles Guide to Lawyers in the Los Angeles area, there were 111 law firms that specialized in Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning.

An online resource listing of attorneys involved in estate planning, probate and elderly can be used for contact information. For example:
National Directory of Estate Planning, Probate
and Elder Law Attorneys
www.search-attorneys.com
E-mail: info@search-attorneys.com

— • —  
Susan W. Miller, M.A., is a National Certified Career Counselor, a Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist and holds diplomate status on the American Board of Vocational Experts. She heads California Career Services, a private practice career counseling firm in Los Angeles.

You may e-mail questions to swmcareer@aol.com.