How Not To Pull Your Family Apart

Another traditional resource was Social Security benefits. As we saw with the grandparents, when figuring Social Security benefits into your overall retirement financial picture, the trick is to understand some of the basic yet complex rules. And it is tricky! Best to start with a simple grasp of foundational information. Like the Jones family, you can get a general sense of it by visiting the Social Security online services website. However, changes are expected so check back for updates or consult with a specialist to help you personalize and understand the current and projected impact of various benefit elections.

Lacking the immediate pressure they felt in finding a sustainable solution for the grandparent’s care needs and noting his children’s lack of enthusiasm for a redo, Jackson changes gears. He suspects that having fun while learning something that relates to their own lives will reinvigorate Erik and Nicole’s interest. Uncovering their own projected longevity may do the trick. They will use the Social Security online calculator to estimate the average number of additional years a person can expect to live, based only on the gender and date of birth entered. He thought it may also surprise them to learn how many years they will need funds to support their retirement after leaving the workforce.

Jackson kicks off the next Zoom call by saying, “Let’s have some fun! I shared a link in the chat box for a site that allows us a peek at our expected longevity.”

Nicole and Erik whip out their phones and start to play with the calculator.