Empty nest syndrome is defined best by most parents as a shock reaction. Not having had the opportunity to plan for this abrupt change, many parents are not prepared to cope with the next phase of family.
I am now officially an empty nester. My son recently graduated from college and my daughter will be off to college in the fall. I've been a parent for more than two decades and over the years I have read dozens of books on parenting. But for the last several months I have found myself, like millions of others, in a quandary about what happens next. Thankfully I stumbled upon "Family Building," a fascinating new source of information on a subject I call "after-parenting."
Ron Law, MD, the founder of the Family Building Institute, says his organization offers essential strategies. "Without some balance between financial and non-material wealth, all wealth creation and transfer strategies are ineffective," he says. "Between parenting and grand parenting lies Family Building – a post-parenting paradigm that will transform your paradise lost to paradise found."
What I found most intriguing about Law's strategy is what he calls "The Big Question." He asks, "For the voyage over turbulent waters … should you build a better boat or train a better captain?" The answer sheds light not only on maritime travel but also on the voyages that families make. Family Building is not a book, it's a seven-step guide for family leaders who favor training a better captain for the generational voyage. A voyage not focused on fame, fortune, power or control, but about the biggest investment, the family.
As advisors you are hopefully building a "boat of wealth" for your clients, with the ultimate goal being a successful retirement. Law believes without Family Building you are building a boat without a captain.
