Spendthrift

Under various statutes, a spendthrift is a person who wastes or reduces her estate through excessive drinking, gambling, idleness, or debauchery in a manner that exposes that individual or her family to indigence or suffering or who exposes the government to expense for the support of that person or her family.

When authorized by law, a guardian can manage a spendthrift's property. The purpose of the guardianship is to protect the ward and her property from her wasteful habits. Statutes that provide for the guardianship of spendthrifts are based on the right of the government to protect the property of its citizens for the benefit of themselves and their families and the community.