Dr. Ron Smith Investigates Show Podcast Planner for September 2023 Overall Show Concept: Episode # 19, “The Talk”, “Are you a God Money Role Model for Your Kids?” Introduction: The you the worst or the best? When it comes to money, older generations are the worst role models for their kids and grandkids. Let’s look at why: Topic # 1 Debt v Saving? Shop till you drop: Adults aged 65-plus have an average of $4,700 in credit card debt, as reported by CNBC, using numbers from TransUnion. Baby Boomers account for more than half of all U.S. spending, splurging on restaurants and cruises, according to Visa Business and Economic Insights. Missed the saving memo to self? Baby Boomers’ median retirement savings is $200,00 according to a Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies survey, which at 4% would yield an annual retirement income of $8000 a year. What are we thinking? You all flunked: Adults could correctly answer only half of the questions on a basic financial literacy exam from TIAA Institue, which means that they flunked this simple test. Topic # 2 How will Older Adults pay the Piper? Without appearing overly dramatic, we are in a crisis. A real one. “In the past decade there’s been a steep increase in debt among households headed by someone age 75 and older”. If you are 65-74 years of age, you have an average debt (including credit cards) of about $105,250, according to SmartAsset. In fact, MarketWatch reports, “Seniors have more household debt now than they did during the financial crisis.” The good news is that older adults are living longer than ever before. Therefore, they have more time to pay off the debt, but the bad news is that many older adults are financially insecure, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($25,760 per year for a single person in 2021). They may never be able to pay off the debt. NCOA says, “1 in 3 older adults is economically insecure.” What is also scary is that 60% of adults, Annuity.org reports, don’t believe their retirement savings are on track, so the baggage of financial problems is going to pass to the next generations. Topic # 3 The Legacy We Leave Millennials, are you financially prepared to rescue your parents from financial disaster? Shame on older parents for leaving this burden on their kids. It’s also not just being stupid with money; it’s not teaching your offspring to be financially independent, as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skstradio/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skstradio/support