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 Tips for Dealing With the Aftermath of a Family Hoarder

Losing a loved one is hard in itself. But when that person was a hoarder — like roughly 19 million Americans — managing grief while sorting through mountains of stuff is even more challenging. I know; my widowed grandmother was a hoarder, and I dealt w… Continue reading

A Solo Ager’s 5-Step Plan to Finding a Fiduciary

My family is all dead, and I never married or had children. The new term for people like me is “solo ager” or “elder orphan.” Aging alone highlights the dilemma of what to do when you need help managing your health, finances and the disposition of your… Continue reading

The Best of Next Avenue: Essential Advice for Dealing With Your Parents’ Stuff

Many Next Avenue readers are, or will be, stressed, worried and anxious figuring out what to do with their parents’ stuff. We know this because our 2017 story, “Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff” is our most-read, most-shared piece. And it led to… Continue reading

One Family’s Journey Through Guardianship Hell

The last time Patricia Femia saw her mother, Ada Vocino, was February 14,  2013 — Valentine’s Day. But this was anything but a heartfelt meeting. The two women were in the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown, N.J. and were there for war. Patricia, t… Continue reading

Why Smart People Don’t Spot Financial Infidelity in Their Relationships

Several months ago, a friend and I were discussing a mutual acquaintance from college. The woman had divorced her husband after 15 years of marriage and he was arrested for securities fraud shortly after. He subsequently went to prison. Our classmate c… Continue reading

Having ‘The Talk’ With Your Parents About Their Finances

Cameron Huddleston, author of the smart new book Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances, remembers the birds-and-the-bees talk she had as a child with her mother. Huddleston says she’d g… Continue reading

How to Turn Your Passions Into Retirement Income

In 2016, Mike Liff, now 73, relocated with his wife from San Francisco to Portland, Maine to be closer to family. The retirees explored their new hometown and thanks to a chance conversation at a barbershop, Liff learned that MaineFoodieTours.com was l… Continue reading

Boomer Entrepreneurs: Selling Their Businesses Without Selling Out

A major economic trend is unfolding with barely a ripple of attention: Boomer business owners are approaching retirement age and an army of these entrepreneurs are, or will be, putting their companies up for sale. Boomers own 2.34 million privately-hel… Continue reading