PenPenWrites

parenting blog, memoir notes, family punchlines & more

Category: college debt

Emerging Adults: Their burdens are bigger than ours were at their age

04/18/2012

A little–perhaps a lot–of sympathy may be in order here. Our kids–the young adults coming out of college and graduate school–are drowning in debt and a lot of other woes that ripple out from that. "It's a very different world than 20 yrs ago" says Nancy Molitor, a clinical psychologist who practices in the Chicago…
Grandparenting: Are we willing to share the wealth with our Grands?

01/15/2012

A few days ago, I wrote about a 2011 MetLife survey on boomer parent's spending habits vis a vis their grown children. (Long story short: Most of us want to help our adult children with college tuition; fewer want to help them buy a house.) There's also a 2009 MetLife survey on how grandparents feel…
Money Matters: What are we willing to pay for when our grown children are grown up?

01/12/2012

There's a new survey out on how generous–or not–we are with our adult children. Overall, the 2011 MetLife survey found that four out of five us are willing to help out in a variety of ways. But we have our limits. Topping the list in priorities is college education. Nine out of 10 of us…
Emerging Adults: Even if they do get a job, there’s plenty to worry about

09/09/2011

A major concern for most of us whose children graduated from college recently is whether they'll get a job. It's a nasty market out there. Sometimes we blame our kids for not trying hard enough –it may seem like they're doing nothing but they probably are checking those job-search Web sites regularly. Here's a point…
Refilling the Nest: The unpleasantness of having grown sons home for the summer.

10/12/2010

When grown children–college age and just beyond–come home for the summer, parents are not dealing with full-blown and mature adults. Their kids are “emerging adults.”
Share the Wealth: To help our children now or to leave a legacy later?

06/21/2010

If we have “a little bit more” than we need for retirement, why not share it with our grown children in the here and now? Not to spoil them but to step in when there’s a crisis or a need.
Money Matters: The long arm of parents who help their kids.

05/30/2010

"We are spending so much money on our kids," a friend tells me. "They need to be rescued every once in a while." The kids in question are hers from her first marriage and his from his first marriage. One of her sons went through a painful and devastating divorce, including court battles over child…
Money Matters: Helping kids with big purchases

04/12/2010

Some of us are willing to help our kids out financially, while others–even if we can afford it–don’t feel we should. It may depend on what our life experiences were.
Money Matters: Putting money aside to help the grown kids and their kids

02/04/2010

This recession is hard on everyone–more so on those it affects directly: those with the lost job or the diminished 401k. But that hasn't stopped many of us from using what we've got to help those we love. A study out of Britain may reflect what's happening here as well. Here are the basics of…
Lending Money: What to do when your adult child needs financial help

09/13/2009

These are hard times. The Great Recession is taking its toll–not only on our 401ks but, for some of us, on our jobs and worse, our children's jobs and financial well-being. Just to put things in perspective, a recent survey by Fidelity Investments found that 41 percent of U.S. households did not have emergency funds…

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Category: college debt

Emerging Adults: Their burdens are bigger than ours were at their age

Grandparenting: Are we willing to share the wealth with our Grands?

Money Matters: What are we willing to pay for when our grown children are grown up?

Emerging Adults: Even if they do get a job, there’s plenty to worry about

Refilling the Nest: The unpleasantness of having grown sons home for the summer.

Money Matters: The long arm of parents who help their kids.

Money Matters: Helping kids with big purchases

Money Matters: Putting money aside to help the grown kids and their kids

Lending Money: What to do when your adult child needs financial help