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Home » Insights » Family & Finance » The Sandwich Generation: Tips for Managing Finances and Reducing Stress
John D. Evans III, CFP®, MPAS®, CRPC®
Senior Wealth Advisor
If you are in the sandwich generation and want help alleviating your stress and staying financially secure, we are here for you.
The term “sandwich generation” refers to a generation of adults who are caring for their aging parents while also supporting their own children. If you are “sandwiched” then you already know the unique challenges of balancing caregiving responsibilities for both younger and older family members.
If you fall in this category, you’re not alone. In the U.S., almost a quarter (23%) of adults — and more than half (54%) of adults in their 40s — are now part of the sandwich generation.1 Although mainly identified as having a parent aged 65 or older and raising at least one child younger than 18, the characteristics of the sandwich generation are changing and expanding as life expectancy increases and more parents are financially supporting their adult children2.
These revealing statistics shed light on the profound challenges that individuals like you are confronting:3
Since its inception in 1981, when it was coined in an article in ‘The Gerontologist,’ the sandwich generation has seen the development of many resources to aid in managing the dual responsibilities they face. From time and money management tools to emotional support systems, assistance is readily accessible. Empowering individuals to take charge of their lives helps ensure that the demands of their situation do not exhaust their health and financial well-being entirely.
Financial tips
Amidst the pressures of being part of the sandwich generation, you could significantly relieve stress by adopting proactive financial strategies — in addition to a financial plan that addresses short and long-term spending and savings. Below are practical financial tips to help empower you in effectively managing your dual caregiving responsibilities.
1. Manage spending and saving
2. Get help from specialists
3. Practice self-care and set expectations
At Mercer Advisors, we have many clients who are part of the sandwich generation. We help guide them through this challenging time with financial planning, investment management, tax strategies, estate planning, trustee services, and insurance solutions. It’s our role to help relieve your financial worries and burdens, as well as direct you to the resources we know are useful from our nearly 40 years of experience advising clients. If you want to have a financial plan that can help with alleviating your stress and keeping you financially secure, let’s talk.
1.“More than half of Americans in their 40s are ‘sandwiched’ between an aging parent and their own children,” World Economic Forum, Apr. 14, 2022.
2.“The sandwich generation is changing. The stress remains,” The Washington Post, March 22, 2023.
3.“Cost of caregiving burdens nearly half of Sandwich Generation,” New York Life, Nov. 1, 2023.
4.“Alzheimer’s stages: How the disease progresses,” Mayo Clinic, June 7, 2023.
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