Ask Your Parents Where They Want to Be in 10 Years
Start by asking your parents about the details of their estate. Then, when everyone is more comfortable, ask the bigger questions.
Where do you want to live in 10 years?
What does an average Tuesday look like for you?
Are you playing golf? Fly fishing? Sitting on a beach somewhere?
We often assume we know what our parents want, or worse, decide where we think they should live. But it's their life. They should tell us where they want to go.
Then we can ask, "Can we make that happen? And if so, how?"
That's the conversation the sandwich generation needs to have.
And none of it should start with, "What's my share of the estate?"
We can have these conversations at the kitchen table, in a courtroom, or at a funeral.
Where would you rather have it?
I'd choose the kitchen table.
"What do you want for dinner?"
And then:
"Where do you want to live in 10 years?"
Let them tell you what they want. Then you can plan around it.
