When I read Tim Prosch’s book, The Other Talk: A Guide to Talking with Your Adult Children about the Rest of Your Life, I knew I had to have him come and talk to our clients and their guests. The event is scheduled for September 4th beginning at Noon. I hope to see many of you!
Tim’s going to talk with us about something everybody dreads — the conversation where mom and dad and their adult children talk about the parent’s preparations and wishes for their later years.
Tim’s a strategic marketing professional who has worked for years with Boomers across the country. His book grew out of a constant refrain he heard from Boomers, “I’ll never put my kids through what happened to me with my parents” and his own eight year long struggle with his Mom who had Alzheimer’s and his dad who had MS.
Most families find themselves in tough situations with their aging parents because they never discussed these end of life issues. The adult children don’t want to think about their parents dying. Nor do they want to experience a role reversal where they seemingly parent their parents. And, of course, the parents struggle with giving up control to their children.
Tim’s book is a roadmap for changing that painful dynamic. Rather than having the kids take control or the parent give up control, he advocates sharing control. And, in another departure from traditional thinking, rather than put the onus on the adult children to reach out to mom and dad to discuss their finances and healthcare wishes, Tim insists that the parents start the ball rolling.
He’ll chat with us about financing an uncertain future, choosing the best living arrangements, getting good medical care, and how to take charge of the end of your life, both by empowering kids to make medical decisions when you can’t and sharing details of your will.
Did that last part make you shudder? As Tim said in a recent interview with the Financial Planning Association, “You have to sit your kids down and say, ‘Here’s what I’ve got. Here’s what we have to deal with, because you are going to end up with it.’”
I look forward to his talk and a robust question and answer session. Space is limited but if you are interested in attending, please call Kate at (703) 356-4380 to register and let us know if you will be bringing a family member or guest with you.
And by the way, Tim Prosch will be available to sign The Other Talk which we will make available to each household present.
