Hit 50 years old this month and realized I've never once talked to my dad about his retirement plans

We were at his 80th birthday party last Saturday and my brother just blurts out that dad's been quietly paying for mom's care home for 6 years, all while I've been dodging any money talk with him. How are we supposed to bring up things like life insurance or funeral costs without making everyone uncomfortable, has anyone else hit this wall with aging parents?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_stella9d ago

Quietly paying for mom's care home" for 6 years? Sounds like dad's been running a secret savings operation while the rest of us are just trying to remember if we left the oven on. I'd say just hand him a funeral pamphlet and say "so, you got a theme in mind, or are we winging it?

betty_park629d ago

Holy crap, you just flipped a switch for me. I used to think my dad was just stingy with his money and didn't care about anything except his golf clubs. But now I see he's probably been doing the same quiet math, storing away cash for mom's care while I was out here buying overpriced lattes and complaining about my lease. Honestly, your funeral pamphlet joke hits way too close to home because I'd probably panic and suggest a potluck instead of actually talking to him about it.