If Your Child’s Failure to Launch Becomes a Money Problem for You

In his new book, Failure To Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn’t Grown Up…and What to Do About It, clinical psychologist Mark McConville writes mostly about problems some young adults have, well, becoming adults. But I was expecially interested in h… Continue reading

3 Ways Your Grown Children Can Help You Plan for Retirement

Two years ago, my then 39-year-old brother, mom and I went on a vacation in Hawaii (my parents are divorced and my dad has since remarried). The trip coincided with my mom, then in her late ‘60s, entering semi-retirement. After working two full-time jo… Continue reading

Figuring Out a Budget for Your College Student

As the mother of two college students, I continue to scratch my head about a simple question. How much do my sons need for spending money, and what portion of it should I provide? Unfortunately, experts say, there’s no one answer, either on the amount … Continue reading

How to Be the Mother-in-Law You Always Wanted

“Someday, some little girl who’s probably not even born yet is going to steal you away from me, and I hate her already.” No, I didn’t say it and I don’t remember even thinking it when my son was born, although when I met my daughter-in law to be, somet… Continue reading

Should You Move Near Your Grown Child When You Retire?

Dan and Alice Smith, both 64, have never shied away from change — that includes a change of address. When Dan was a marketing executive for an oil company in the 1970s, relocations came with the territory. After switching to the auto industry in the ea… Continue reading

Should You Move Near Your Grown Child When You Retire?

Dan and Alice Smith, both 64, have never shied away from change — that includes a change of address. When Dan was a marketing executive for an oil company in the 1970s, relocations came with the territory. After switching to the auto industry in the ea… Continue reading

When One Adult Child Needs More Financial Help Than Another

Some boomer and Gen X parents want to assist their grown children financially from time to time, either to enhance their kids’ lives or because their sons or daughters are struggling financially. But when is it okay to help one child more than another?… Continue reading

When One Adult Child Needs More Financial Help Than Another

Some boomer and Gen X parents want to assist their grown children financially from time to time, either to enhance their kids’ lives or because their sons or daughters are struggling financially. But when is it okay to help one child more than another?… Continue reading

6 Things to Teach Your Adult Child About Money

When my oldest daughter graduated from college, I was amazed to discover that she had never taken an economics or finance class. Her education helped her secure a prestigious job doing medical research, yet she had no clue how to budget, do her taxes, … Continue reading

How to Support a Transgender Child or Grandchild

(Editor’s note: Covering LGBTQ issues is an ongoing Next Avenue priority, and this June, during Pride Month, we are publishing a special LGBTQ-focused series. We started with a guide to LGBTQ allyship and a Q&A with Frank DeCaro about his new drag … Continue reading