How can I save for my retirement while financially supporting my children? How can I use Estate Planning for retirement? How do I set up a Trust to make sure my children will be provided for once I’m gone? How to protect assets for heirs while saving for retirement?
One of the hardest balances to strike as a parent is when to step back and let your children create their own independence. Even when they grow into adulthood, they are still our kids. Wanting our children to be successful adults in today’s world means many parents are working to save for retirement while still providing for their children financially. If you are in this boat, know that you are not alone. A 2018 survey conducted by Merrill Lynch found that 79% of US parents provide financial support to their adult children, from groceries and phone bills to weddings and down payments on their children’s first homes. But at what cost?
Sacrifice or Balance: A Tightrope! How to Best Save Money for Retirement and How to Save Money for Your Kid at the Same Time
Are you sacrificing your own future financial security for your children right now?
The good news is that there is such a thing as balance and this applies to your finances and family as well. Parents are well advised to begin by educating their children on budgeting, investing, the value in making their payments on time, and not using credit to buy things they want but don’t need. These lessons can be helpful at any age and as more millennials are leaving home later, parents have the opportunity to be a financial role model for their children and show them how to take concrete steps for monetary success.
Retirement will come whether you have savings or not, but there are ways to walk the tightrope of still providing for your children after they fly the nest, without creating a sense of entitlement or bankrupting your account. Contribute to your child’s savings, be clear on whether any money you provide is a gift or a loan with clear repayment terms for everyone involved, establish a purpose for the money, and timelines for how long you will provide financial support – these guidelines will allow you to help your kids without bankrolling them indefinitely.
Setting up a Trust for a Child – Estate Planning Tool
Estate Planning is another valuable tool to ensure your money protects your heirs in the future. You can, for example, set up a Living Trust for the benefit of your children into which other relatives can place money, perhaps to fund their college education. Or what if your child is twenty-five but still sits at home all day playing video games? You may want to create a Trust that provides for them while still encouraging them to get a job and become an active part of the community. Not all Trusts are the same and we want to help you understand the difference!
Our licensed attorneys can help you create a plan that protects your legacy and your children. Not just with the distribution of assets, but by relieving them from having to make potentially life-changing and difficult decisions in the future. Providing for your children financially is just one piece of the puzzle as a parent. To truly protect yourself and them you need to create a well rounded estate plan for the future, one that encompasses retirement and beyond. Attend one of our FREE legal webinars and a licensed attorney can answer all your questions about the future and doing what is best for your family.
What Do We Do as California Estate Planning Attorney Specialists?
The lawyers and staff at CunninghamLegal help people plan for some of the most difficult times in their lives; then we guide them when those times come.
Make an appointment to meet with CunninghamLegal for California Estate Planning and Trust Administration. We have offices throughout California, and we offer in-person, phone, and Zoom appointments. Just call (866) 988-3956 or book an appointment online.
Please also consider joining one of our free online Estate Planning Webinars.
We look forward to working with you!
Best, Jim
James L. Cunningham Jr., Esq.
Founder, CunninghamLegal
At CunninghamLegal, we guide savvy, caring families in the protection and transfer of multi-generational wealth.
