Intention vs reality: What happens when children take over their parents' finances

Key Highlights

• Those from the generation that grew up hearing “money doesn't grow on trees” are now sitting their parents down with Excel sheets, explaining how and why money actually grows in the stock market if you let it compound. While their parents prioritize safety, Millennial and Gen Z India's aim for optimization.
• They view their parents' finances not as a pot of savings but as an inefficient portfolio that needs fixing.
• This dynamic creates a fascinating, often painful, psychological clash. Here's a deep dive into why children push for this, the hidden psychology behind it, whether it’s actually helpful, and how to do it the right away. The psychology: why do children push their parents?It isn’t just about making more money.
• The desire to control parental finances often stems from the child’s own anxieties about the future.1.
• The dependency defence mechanismThe deep insight: Many young Indians are terrified of being the sole financial crutch for their ageing parents.