Children

Our Children Want Us to Take Care of the Grandkids This Summer at Our Lake House. How Do We Say No?

We love our grandkids, but we're not a summer camp.

Unforeseen pitfall of retirement and downsizing!

After a colourful career in high-tech/telecoms, I realized it was time to retire when I was suddenly reporting to a 22 year old who knew less about technology than the cashier at a dollar store, place...

The Simple Legal Document Families Need to Protect Their Kids (But Don't Know About)

When parents are absent, caregivers may not be able to make emergency decisions for a child without a Delegation of Parental Authority. Here's how to set it up.

A Crashing Stock Market Is Great For Our Children’s Future

One of the biggest conundrums parents face is managing their own emotions when a stock market, real estate market, or any other risk asset takes a dive. On one hand, it's painful to watch your portfol...

Is there a compromise or go our own ways?

Looking for input, as one or more of you have have experienced my situation, and I’m not sure where to go next. Background: husband, 60, retiring next January, originally from nyc moved around a lot g...

I'm a Financial Planner: Here's My Survival Guide for the Sandwich Generation

People in their 40s can find their finances stretched as they care for children and aging parents. Here are some strategies to help with competing priorities.

This Is How the 'Brady Bunch' Safety Net (aka a QTIP Trust) Protects Your Kids' Inheritance

If you have a blended family, this estate planning tool can provide for your surviving spouse while passing assets to your children from a previous marriage.

Ask for a severance package, and maybe you’ll get one

I worked for the same technology company for 20 years, and was ready to retire. Like many companies, ours was (and is) going through forced reductions, and providing (pretty generous) severance packag...

3 Smart Ways to Help Your Kids with Money (Without Regretting It Later)

Jeremy Keil explains 3 smart ways to help your kids with money while avoiding IRS paperwork Early in the year, I received an email from a couple asking a question I hear all the time: “What’s the maxi...

Gift giving for children who have all they need

Both of my nieces children have everything they need (both sets of parents are very well off). At Christmas, we traditionally give them a small gift (~$25) and a check for $50 each. This year, it was ...

Want to Give Your Kids a Financial Head Start? Why Your 401(k) Gift Could Be a Retirement Trap

It’s natural to want to share your retirement nest egg with family. Learn how to give generously without putting your own financial security or tax bracket at risk.

We're 65 With $3.9 Million. Should We Give Our Adult Children Their Inheritance Now to Pay for Daycare and Buy a Home?

We have $3.9 million saved. Our adult children are struggling to pay for daycare and buy a home. Should we give them an advance on their inheritance?

Parent Like a Millionaire (Without Being One) is Now Published!

Publishing a book is no joke, but publishing a book while trying to raise a kid is the next level of crazy. Before having kids, we had no idea how much sacrifice, time, and effort goes into parenting....

Have you/do you plan to downsize your car in retirement?

UK here and realise a large US audience may have different ‘normal’ for cars but let’s see Have always driven family/practical cars. Enough space for car seats and strollers and lanky teenagers and ho...

I'm a Retirement Editor: Here's the Investing Advice I Gave My Son

As a veteran retirement investor, I'm sharing this advice for your own adult children or grandchildren.

How to Find Joy and Meaning When You Want to Retire — But Can’t Yet

For Gen X, delaying retirement can be an opportunity to pilot-test your second act, plan for your inheritance and structure trusts for your kids.

64 days to go, getting really anxious...

Got a seriously good/very bad job with lots of stress. Happy to let the job go so I can take care of my mom, not die before retirement like my dad and enjoy my few remaining years. What have I not tho...

Will Your Children's Inheritance Set Them Free or Tie Them Up?

An inheritance can mean extraordinary freedom for your loved ones, but could also cause more harm than good. How can you ensure your family gets it right?

What To Know About The New 530A “Trump Accounts” For Children

What are Trump Accounts? This guide explains new 530A child investment accounts, including eligibility, the $1,000 Treasury deposit and key tax rules.

Investment Outlook For Public And Private Stocks In 2026

As a FIRE parents raising two children in San Francisco, we rely heavily on our investments to remain free. If we significantly misjudge returns, we increase the probability of having to go back to wo...

New Year’s Resolutions 2026: Less Optimizing, More Living

By many objective measures, 2025 was a good year. Investment returns were solid. I published another bestseller in Millionaire Milestones. My kids are healthy, happy, and continuing to grow in loving ...

Is a Caregiving Strategy — for Yourself and Others — Missing From Your Retirement Plan?

Millions of people over 65 care for grandkids, adult kids or aging parents and will also need care themselves. Building a caregiving strategy is crucial.

Feeling Too Guilty to Spend in Retirement? You Really Need to Get Over That

Are you living below your means in retirement because you fear not having enough to leave to your kids? Here's how to get over that.

Eliminated a Regret and Fulfilled a Childhood Dream for Free

As I watched my kids tear through their Christmas presents, I felt an unexpected twinge of melancholy. I knew the thrill over that one toy they had wanted for so long would be fleeting. Soon enough, i...

Upon retirement, do you still see/experience lots of illness around flu season?

Out here in the working world the flu is a big topic as so many people have been out sick. I primarily work from home, but my spouse is seeing lots of illness running through his area and said the pur...

Will Your Children Be Required To Pay For Your Long-Term Care?

Many older Americans should review whether their estates or adult children might be required to pay for long-term care they received.

No, the Poverty Line Isn’t $140,000 a Year

A few weeks ago, Michael Green published a post where he argued that the poverty line for a family of four in the U.S. wasn't $32,100 in annual income (as currently claimed by the Department of Health...

A Decade Can Change Everything

We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Bill Gates Having been retired for over 10 years now and taken 9 y...

Business Succession And Potential Gift Of Goodwill

A parent may transition a business to children as part of a succession plan. Be careful about the transfer of goodwill as the IRS may argue it was a gift.

Will Your Aging Parent Be Miserable In Assisted Living?

Many adult children want their aging parent to move closer and be in assisted living. Beware of the pitfalls and find a right fit with your elder's personality....

What We’ve Been Working On For The Past 2 Years

Long term readers of this blog will know that I had a horrific birth experience and exhausting first month after the birth of my son. What I didn’t tell you at the time, was that there was somet...

Solo retirement at 59 F no kids

Retiring soon. Looking for insights on my ability to retire, and things I haven’t considered — especially from women in similar life circumstances. I have 600K in mixed retirement accounts...

Being Not Doing: The Gift of Retirement

I was reading the fantasy novel "The Farthest Shore" by Ursula LaGuin and came across this beautiful passage: " When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I...

Not a day goes by that I do not think of retirement plans

My wife and I plan to retire at the end of 2028. While we both have good paying jobs now, for most of our adult lives, we've been barely making it - raising children and living paycheck to paycheck. O...

What are some of the smartest decisions you made, pre or post retirement?

We all hear about the regrets many people have in retirement, probably too many to list. Most of those regrets have to with money and/or timing of peoples retirement, or decisions made about health in...

What were common jobs when we were kids that are non-existent now?

As I was pumping my own gas today, I was thinking about going to the gas station when I was a kid and the attendant would pump, clean your front and rear windows, and ask if you'd like him to check yo...

If You Had An Abusive Parent, Are You Obligated To Help As They Age?

Some parents were abusive to their kids growing up. There is estrangement. But do adult children help when that aging parent is in dire need? Some do, and some do not....

Backdoor Roth IRAs: Help Your Kids Keep More of Their Inheritance

Converting to a backdoor Roth IRA via an IRS "loophole" is an estate planning tool that gives heirs tax-free income in retirement. It can help you, too....