PenPenWrites

The economic retrenchment is, as we know, global. We aren't the only families having to pull back financially, and that includes support for our grown children–be it paying off a college debt or helping with the down payment on a house. A report out of Australia mirrors what many here are experiencing.
Evidently, the hard times down under are silencing the peal of wedding bells. Here are some highlights from a report by the St George Bank:

Generation Y expects parents to help
pay for weddings, house deposits and education fees, but concerns over
retirement and debt have taken priority for most mums and dads.

70 per
cent of baby boomers believe the global financial crisis has seen their
assets shrink in value, and 71 per cent are now concerned about their financial health. As a result, only 6 per cent of parents rate providing financial assistance to their adult offspring as a top priority.

Almost half of those parents with adult children said they were
focused on saving, either for retirement (25 per cent) or other future
expenses (24 per cent).

Another 41 per cent favored paying off debt, either their credit card (24 per cent) or mortgage (17 per cent), the survey showed.

Bottom line: “Circumstances have changed for many and it’s understandable that
parents are now having to focus on their own needs and financial health,"a general
manager of the bank said. “As a result, when it comes to paying for things like weddings,
first home deposits, overseas travel and childcare, many Gen Ys must
now stand on their own two feet.”