#RetirementLiving - Issue 47 April/May 2020 April/May 2020 | Page 43

INVESTMENT up their minds about committing to jobs, careers, life partners. And the process has not just stretched out – it’s segued from a wellunderstood and accepted linear progression to a Moebius strip or a double helix. Millennials and Zs may stay home throughout their university careers, stay at university until they’re 30, and then meet someone special. They may even have a child or two in their 30s. And they may move into a new home, or they may not. And, even if they do, the chances are pretty good they will move back in with Mom and Dad, so best not to turn Johnny’s bedroom into a home gym just yet. And here’s where it gets interesting. While the kids may move back into the family home – with or without partners and/or children – they may well find their parents going back to university to maybe do that arts degree they really wanted to do instead of being sensible and doing engineering or commerce. Or perhaps – and this really is not at all uncommon – Mum and Dad may well ‘retire’ from the jobs they’ve been doing for years, and find whole new careers. So how do we cope? That’s a good question. How can you plan for a life and family trajectory that seems to be spiralling out of control subject to no known rules? You loosen up a bit, you plan for change, and craft your lifestyle and your living space around possibilities – not prescriptions. Life’s an adventure – grab it with both hands. Jennifer Stern