What do you recommend to a client with elderly parents where the client is about to go to prison for a long time?

I saw the following question on Quora: "I'm about to go to prison. Maybe for a long time. My mom & dad are old. What should I do?"  (You can click on the question to read the discussion.)

The key word in this question is "about."  There is little one can do at this point.  The situation of this individual is instructive for others, however.  It is always worthwhile to prepare for eventualities well in advance, particularly if you are in a profession where there is an above-average risk of imprisonment.  But any individual could find himself in prison for one reason or another.

It is a good reason to put as much money into retirement accounts, which are generally protected in bankruptcy and in life insurance and annuities, which sometimes are.  Also, be sure to file your house as a homestead.  In Massachusetts this filing costs less than $100 and protects the primary residence. This is important because in prison there isn't any income and bankruptcy is often the result.