Unpacking The Book Mom and Dad, We Need To Talk: How To Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances with Author Cameron Huddleston

Today, Ed is joined by Cameron Huddleston, an author, speaker, and award-winning journalist with 20 years of experience writing about personal finance.

The mom of three juggled the responsibilities of parenthood while being caregiver for her own mom, who had Alzheimer’s disease. That experience made her realize how important it is for adult children to have conversations with their parents about their finances before a health issue or other emergency leaves them unable to manage on their own.

It was that period of her life that inspired Cameron to write Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances, in which she offers encouragement and guidance to people who desire open dialogue with their parents about a topic typically considered off-limits.

Listen in as Cameron explains how the challenges and goals differ between caring for children and caring for aging parents. She talks about the common roadblocks adult children face when having conversations with their parents about their finances, and why it’s crucial to talk to your siblings first before your parents.

Cameron also talks about the importance of teaching your own kids to get comfortable with open communication between family members regarding finances. Finally, she discusses practical steps to ease into that conversation with your aging parents as early as possible.

Key Topics:

• The challenges of caring for aging parents (01:46)
• What got Cameron into personal finance (04:25)
• Taking care of a mother with Alzheimer’s disease (08:43)
• The consequences of not having these conversations (14:21)
• Getting your own kids involved in these conversations early on (24:32)
• How to start talking to your parents about their finances (30:16)
• How to “die well” (36:30)
• Bringing up the “what ifs” with your parents and helping them avoid scams (43:30)

Resources:

• getcarefull.com
• cameronhuddleston.com

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