Click buttons for the Answers 7.  So these involuntary conservatorship and guardianship petitions can be filed by total strangers  and not just by relatives.  Are any of us 100% safe from this retirement nightmare? No.  You may feel that way now, but as unpleasant as it may be, try to imagine a time when you are over 62 and living alone.  Perhaps your spouse has died, you are alienated from your children, and you've moved far away from your relatives.  You are aging well, but you finally reach a point when you really do need a little help managing your investments or driving to the stores and the bank. You have just become a sitting duck for anyone who wants to take over the control of your money and of your affairs for the rest of your life.  The answer to this question is NO.  No one is totally safe from this retirement nightmare.