Pete the Planner faces the ‘financial chaos’ of raising teenagers

IBJ personal finance columnist Pete the Planner has a teen and a tween at home. Pete has been helping people with family finances for decades, and even he admits now to being humbled in this new season of his financial life by numerous large or unusual obligations. As he puts it in an upcoming column for IBJ, Pete is bracing for many years of “financial chaos.” He also finds himself in the uncomfortable position of using the advice he has given older families over the years and realizing that it’s tougher to follow than he thought. In this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, Pete and host Mason King take an in-depth look at three of the most expensive seasons of parenting—roughly the infant and toddler years, the teen years, and the young-adult years. The latter period often coincides with the years parents are required to help support their own parents. You often hear that referred to as the “sandwich generation.” Pete runs through some of the biggest and most surprising expenses over these three seasons and ways to avoid or soften the blows. He also suggests a quick exercise to help you figure out the timing of these rough patches relative to your age, your kids’ ages, and the ages of your parents. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.