Situation
A couple in their late forties helping one set of parents with living costs, while both children are still in school.
The Question
How much can we help without putting our own retirement at risk — and what happens if a parent needs long-term care?
The Planning
Set an explicit annual support figure so it doesn’t drift, keep retirement contributions automatic and ahead of discretionary spending, and price out long-term care coverage while the parents are still insurable.
The Outcome
Helping the parents is now a line in the plan rather than a drain on it, and the care scenario has a funding answer.
This case is a composite of common situations, with details changed; it does not describe a specific client. Actual results vary.