Let's talk about .... Finances and raising kids

As we celebrated National Grandparents Day earlier this month, we acknowledge that more older adults have primary responsibility for raising grandchildren or other young relatives. If this describes you or the older adults you work with, these CFPB tools can help.

Here are five actions grandparents and older adults raising kids can take to evaluate their finances and plan for family goals....

1. Get a clear picture of monthly income and expenses. If you’re raising kids on a fixed income, you may be rethinking your budget. Use our income tracker to see where money is coming from and the spending tracker to see where it’s going.
2. If your household just got bigger, you probably have added expenses. Find out if federal, state, or local assistance programs can help. Go to Benefitscheckup.org to find benefits that could help with the cost of food, health care, housing, utilities, and transportation.
3. If you’ve had to take on new debts, use our debt log to total how much is owed, track interest rates, choose a debt reduction strategy, and prioritize payoff goals.
4. Talk about money choices with the kids in your care. Visit our Money As You Grow resource page to find age-appropriate activities and conversation starters to help build children’s money skills, habits, and attitudes.
5. Whether you’re raising kids or not, it’s a good idea to plan ahead, set money goals, and start saving. Use our planning tool to think about major life events and set savings goals for large purchases, such as buying a car and paying for college.
6. Please call upon us if you have money questions or need any some financial counseling. We are here as a collaborative fiduciary resource for trusted advisors and their clients. 310-447-5266