5 Money Conversations to Have With Your Kids Before They Go to College

With heavy financial burdens like student loans, rent, credit card payments and more, starting “adult life” on the right foot can feel impossible for many Millennials and Gen-Zers. These generations often receive conflicting advice about how to achieve financial stability: Some experts urge them to pay off their debts as quickly as possible, while others tell them to start building their retirement nest egg while they’re young.

While both paths are valid, it shouldn’t be one or the other. Instead, it’s important to create a strategic financial plan that addresses both short-term debt and long-term savings. Below, the experts of Forbes Finance Council share their advice for young professionals seeking a healthy balance.

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Written by: Matthew Phillips | The last words of the email stood out the most. “… the thing is … we are deaf.” This is how the prospective client closed her message to me in 2017.

When I agreed to meet with the woman and her husband, I was feeling uncertain about how to best communicate with them. To prepare, I added captions to my usual video presentation. But halfway through, I realized the couple was completely overwhelmed with the financial vocabulary I was using, which was entirely new to them. Improvising, I pulled up a blank Word document and started typing which allowed us to converse back and forth. I felt completely inadequate and regretted not preparing more, but did my best to connect with the couple.

To my surprise, the meeting concluded with the wife rejecting my handshake and instead grabbing onto me tightly as she began to cry. “Matthew, thank you for what you have done,” she said. “We have sat with five advisors, and none have come close to helping us like you have. I know we have missed out on financial opportunities because we are deaf.”

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