What a positive initial discussion with your adult children. Well done. Our oldest (38 yr old) and his wife own a home. Our two younger children (29 & 35) are still single and are not homeowners. We have told them that we are willing to help them purchase a condo or house when they are ready. In the meantime we have had discussions with them about having emergency funds, setting up a Roth account, and saving ~ 15% of what they earn. We check in with them about finances a couple of times each year but try to tread lightly.
Thanks for posting your story. It's very encouraging.
A fraudster filed a federal tax return using my wife's and my SSNs 13 years ago. Untangling things took a few months with the IRS and more than a year with the state of Maryland. The IRS handed things efficiently; we've been using PINs when we file that the IRS mails to us each year. Maryland, where we lived at the time, gave us a lot of grief as we tried to sort things out and refile our tax forms. The state put a lien on our property and after 6 months turned our account over to a debt collection agency! The issue was resolved after we contacted our state representatives. We had no problems with the IRS.
Comments
What a positive initial discussion with your adult children. Well done. Our oldest (38 yr old) and his wife own a home. Our two younger children (29 & 35) are still single and are not homeowners. We have told them that we are willing to help them purchase a condo or house when they are ready. In the meantime we have had discussions with them about having emergency funds, setting up a Roth account, and saving ~ 15% of what they earn. We check in with them about finances a couple of times each year but try to tread lightly. Thanks for posting your story. It's very encouraging.
Post: Helping Adult Children, pt. 2
Link to comment from March 1, 2026
Our PINs are mailed to us each January. We don't have to request them each year.
Post: A PIN to protect your tax return
Link to comment from February 28, 2026
A fraudster filed a federal tax return using my wife's and my SSNs 13 years ago. Untangling things took a few months with the IRS and more than a year with the state of Maryland. The IRS handed things efficiently; we've been using PINs when we file that the IRS mails to us each year. Maryland, where we lived at the time, gave us a lot of grief as we tried to sort things out and refile our tax forms. The state put a lien on our property and after 6 months turned our account over to a debt collection agency! The issue was resolved after we contacted our state representatives. We had no problems with the IRS.
Post: A PIN to protect your tax return
Link to comment from February 27, 2026