What plans could you be sharing with your family?
In the year after Monique's husband, Roland, died, she was still wrestling with making decisions alone.
She felt close to her two children, and they talked at length about the impact of Roland's death on their lives.
But her children did not know how overwhelmed Monique was with trying to sort out the complex financial situation she had taken over managing.
Roland had a strong "philosophy" of investing that he talked about all the time.
Yet he never involved his family in it or shared any details about what he was doing.
This always concerned Monique, but it was a passion for Roland, so she never pushed it.
Now, that wasn't feeling like a good approach.
She wanted to get the kids involved but wasn't sure how they would feel about it.
She decided to ask them.
Research from The Generations Project® supports Monique's intuition that she would feel better if she shared information with her children.
The Transition Ready Family study found that parents who communicate their plans to their children have more peace of mind and confidence than those who complete plans but don't share them.
One way to start a conversation is to let people know you want to talk but aren't sure how.
Start a conversation The conversation: What conversations could we be having "today" about our "someday" future?
How to start: Explore what people would like to talk about "today" vs.
"someday." Start creating a continuing agenda of topics that matter or might be of interest.
Questions that create a continuing agenda: Talking about "today" vs.
"someday" creates a low-risk way to explore topics to discuss.
Monique experienced the reality of "someday" becoming "today." By involving her children in her new planning process, she can take a step toward ensuring they will not have the same overwhelming financial experience she was having.
This allows everyone to have more peace of mind and confidence about the future.
Families can have a shared commitment to ensuring everyone feels comfortable with the amount of planning information they receive.
Get started Acknowledge this is just the first of many conversations.
That will keep topics from feeling urgent and make it feel less risky to begin.
Senior generation It can be hard to start sharing information when you haven't done so in the past.
Start slow and ask your children to understand this is a new experience for everyone.
Next generation Asking open-ended questions builds trust and comfort for your parents to share at their own pace.