WARNING: At the hearing you may lose many of your rights. A guardian may be appointed to make personal decisions for you. A conservator may be appointed to make decisions concerning your property and finances. The appointment may affect control of how you spend your money, how your property is managed and controlled, who makes your medical decisions, where you live, whether you are allowed to vote, and other important rights.The above warning, sent to all allegedly incapacitated seniors in the state of Virginia, summarizes the nightmare that can befall senior citizens anywhere in the United States as a result of involuntary conservatorship or guardianship proceedings. Statutes originally designed to help elderly friends and relatives who are unable to look after their own personal or financial needs are now being increasingly abused by calculating heirs to direct the transfer of family assets to themselves-with the courts' blessings. Based on fifty-five cases drawn from courtrooms across America and the author's own bitter experience, The Retirement Nightmare describes what can happen to competent senior citizens when such proceedings are filed against them by relatives or other so-called protectors in the social welfare community.Dr. Armstrong, who was forced to battle her own siblings in a million-dollar court battle to place her competent mother in an involuntary conservatorship, reveals how these arcane conservatorship and guardianship codes function in our courts today; unfortunately, as the author learned firsthand, the actual application of these codes is determined almost solely by the competence and attitudes of individual judges and investigators. She highlights the key problem areas common to the codes that should be changed and recommends ways that seniors can protect themselves to preserve their personal and financial freedom in their retirement years. She also suggests alternatives to conservatorships and guardianships that exist in every state to help the elderly with various aspects of daily living, such as balancing checkbooks, paying bills, grocery shopping, preparing meals, etc.This breakthrough book exposes the secretive world of involuntary protective proceedings and more importantly gives seniors the tools they need to protect themselves from this predatory litigation.Diane G. Armstrong, Ph.D. (Santa Barbara, CA) is a clinical psychologist who works as a writer and consultant specializing in conservatorship/guardianship issues.