“YOU WILL ROTH!”
“But Dad, I’m only 10.”
“Evan, it is never too early to start saving. Besides, this gives you 70-plus years of compounding.”
“Yes, Dad, but didn’t you tell me last week that I need a job and earned income to contribute to a Roth?”
“We can arrange to get you a paycheck. I’ll get a friend or neighbor to hire you. What would you like to do?”
“I like to play soccer.”
“Evan,

What creates a family tradition? Why is a certain vacation spot more special than another with the same basic attributes? Why must the family Christmas celebration repeat the annual ritual to seem authentic? Chances are, these events evoke memories of happy times, perhaps shared with loved ones who are long-gone. Traditions often become fixed in our minds as children, when we’re still learning how things ought to be done.
We’re entering the season of traditions. In the physical therapy clinic during this time,

I have mentioned previously my joy helping our grandchildren like funding 529 plans.
Now our oldest grandchild is in college. A few days ago I texted him to let me know if he needed anything.
Today I received this text. “I was wondering if you can get me a cheese burger with just lettuce, cheese and pickles, fries and a lemonade from the  pizza house near my dorm and you can order online. I’ll pick it up.”
So I placed the order.

After making progress on estate planning, documenting financial records, and updating family history, it suddenly occurred to me that I should make a list of life lessons I have learned along my life journey.
 
Obviously, these life lessons are a lot more than strictly financial, but certainly they will contribute to overall success and a fulfilling life for the next generation.
 
I came up with these and put them in a document along with my financial records.

FATHERHOOD WASN’T one of my life goals. I didn’t feel like I had a wonderful childhood, so I didn’t think I had much to offer my offspring that would help them to lead a wonderful life. If children happened, okay, but it was never a goal.
My first marriage ended because I placed money over fatherhood. I thought not having kids would speed my path to wealth. My wife disagreed—and walked out.
When I met my current wife,

Jonathan asked what advice I give my children related to their retirement.
Our children are ages 54, 53, 50 and 49.
I don’t give our children advice about retirement planning or money and I don’t expect to ever be in a position to do so. But even if I was, giving any advice requires detailed knowledge of all the related facts which I don’t have.  I will do my best to answer a question if asked. 

Ran across this. Not HD content or indeed probably the average HDer being discussed but interesting on the general problems faced by over 60s
https://sherwood.news/personal-finance/boomers-money-secrets-millennial-gen-z-troubles/
I’ve always thought inheritance would eventually be the only way many of their grandkids would achieve real financial security but it seems some may be passing on a millstone in legacy.
 

BASIC ECONOMICS teaches us that scarce commodities are more precious. This holds true for metals, rocks, food—and time. Which brings me to today’s topic: Time spent with my daughter and only child has reached the rare and precious stage.
In summer 2023, scarcity was far from my mind. My daughter and I traveled to visit Grandmama—my mother—five hours’ drive south of our home. The visit itself was short and mundane, with just the usual catching up with my mother and tending to her business.

I’m on the cusp of turning 67. Since I’ll be spending my birthday in Slovenia, we went to NYC yesterday to have a picnic celebration with our older son and family on the Hudson in lower Manhattan. It was wonderful, with food, wine, and a delicious lemon meringue pie. We tossed the football and enjoyed the beautiful weather and setting.  Later that evening we had dinner with our younger son and family at a marina-side restaurant,

Ever have one of those moments?  You you’ve been reading HumbleDollar for a couple years and your 26 year old son calls and says “Dad, work is going to start kicking in %5 for a 403(b), what should I do?” “Well, son, let me tell you about low cost index funds…”
Anybody else had softballs teed up like this ?  🙂

One of my pet issues is survivor income. Assuring a survivor, generally a spouse, is financially okay no matter what is very important IMO, but I rarely see it discussed on retirement planning sites.
I have many stories from my work experience where a spouse – typically the wife – was left floundering upon the husbands death because, except for Social Security, income ceased – these were people with the ability to select pension survivor annuities.

I’M DUMB MONEY, as are all so-called recreational gamblers. That’s why, during the recent basketball playoffs, we sports spectators were bombarded with wildly seductive commercials glamorizing sports betting.
Fortunately, I learned my limits early on. My last notable gamble ended badly more than four decades ago, when some IBM options I bought expired worthless.
But I’ve also come to appreciate that not all individual gamblers are dumb money. I’ve lately been serving as the sounding board for my 36-year-old son Ryan,

My grandmother immigrated to America from Kilkee, county Clare, Ireland.  I always wanted to learn more about her life there, but she spoke very little of it. It seems she decided to just let go of hungry Ireland and cast her lot in her new country.
Because of family struggles she had to return to Ireland, but was able to return to the land she now loved and fully embraced.  My grandmother loved patriotic poems. I offer an excerpt from her favorite;

Last week, my family hosted my wife’s niece and family from California. The parents in this family are both in their 40s.
Prior to their visit, we resolved to ask them what plans they had made for their retirement. On their first evening with us, we were encouraged to learn they each had a pension, and were also saving additional money for retirement through their employer-sponsored plans. That was as far as the financial conversation got,

You faced no financial disasters through life, you were not disabled, you simply went through life with no specific financial plans for the future and now you are old, retired with minimal income or resources.
How would you feel accepting money or substantial gifts (car) from adult children?
Glad, embarrassed, ashamed, entitled, grateful?