The Sandwich Generation
You've heard the terminology, you're part of the "Sandwich Generation", but do you really know what it means? We know that it's meant to describe someone who's taking care of their aging parents and their children. However, we feel that's a little vague. To us, it's someone who is emotionally, physically and fiscally invested in the well being of their families. At times, they do it at a detriment to themselves.
The sandwich generation process
We've spent time developing a process for working with "the Sandwich Generation". It's not a process that considers just your financial well being. If you're part of this generation, you know your comfort is also tied to the well being of your children, and your parents. Some areas our process addresses are:
- Organizing the finances for a surviving widow. Many times we find that only one of your parents managed the finances, making it difficult for the surviving spouse to educate, organize, and implement the strategies that need to be accomplished. We'll help them organize their financial lives; in turn, it helps organize yours.
- Budgeting. This is a two part discussion. The first part begins with your parents. We start by determining how much is needed, what is available and finally, where it's coming from. Part Two: Getting ahead of the game for you! Once we have your parents organized now its time to help you get organized.
- Record Keeping. Similar to organizing your financial life, our goal is to leave behind clear records to the next generations. Working together, we'll fill out our family inventory workbook, to not only leave behind a record of what you have, but what you'd like to happen in the future.
- Planning for Retirement. The one thing we've found most people in the Sandwich Generation fail to do is plan for themselves. Once organized, and with some of the pressure relieved, we'll sit down with you and dive into what your retirement looks like.
- Family Wealth Management Planning. This is the part of the process where we begin to loop in your children. We'll sit down with your adult children, and possibly even their spouses, to talk about how to start the process of saving for retirement and protecting their family; provide them any information regarding your financial picture that you may wish to share; and also, if wanted, share some of your parents' financial picture with them. The best way to learn is receiving advice from those that have experienced what they are currently going through.
- Estate Planning. Not having a proper estate plan in place can cause a lot of confusion and concern during a difficult emotional time. We'll work with your attorney, or help you interview one, to help your family accomplish their estate planning needs, and pass on a proud legacy of giving to future generations.
- Last but not least: we'll listen. We understand that this can be a stressful phase of life, and that sometimes, the most important thing you need is a sounding board. We're here for you.
Please contact us today, to talk about how we can help you overcome your obstacles.
