Do you think you'll help your children financially when they are grown up?

[emkana]

Or will you spend the money on yourself?

My parents helped us with the purchase of our house and also with other bits and bobs, for which I am very grateful.

If we are doing well in later years I fully intend to do the same for our children - but from a discussion I heard recently on Jeremy Vine it seems not everybody agrees with me there.

What do you all think - should your children cope by themselves, or will you help them if you have the means?

I suppose it is ironic that I am desperate to help my own kids out, whereas I have advised mum and dad to spend every penny while they are alive. In fact I fully expect there will be a time where we need to bail them out in retirement. They won't be well off though - no chance of that.

Ironic because they live in a better house than we do, and we never envisage that changing really.

Provided we can live in this tiny place, we won't go short of the basics. I would hate to think of either my parents not being able to heat their house properly, or my daughters putting off having a family while paying off huge student debts/mortgage, while I swan off round the world on cruises (very optimistic about retirement, me).

Of course this does all depend on how financially secure we manage to become. I suspect we will scrimp and save to invest as much as we can from now on (within reason) so that we can offer help to others if and when they need it.

I am sure we will help my father if he ends up needing it which he will at this rate - he has to pay for full time day and night care which is not cheap. I would be surprised if any money were inherited at all.

I'll probably still be poncing off my mum .