Tim Gottus, Financial Advisor

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and caring for aging parents is one of the biggest stressors many families face.

In our experience, stress drops when the basics are handled before there is urgency.

Here are 5 things to consider:

• Financial power of attorney, so someone can act if needed

• Healthcare proxy, so medical decisions are clear and legally supported

• Account access, so a trusted contact can see what is happening without scrambling

• Bill pay strategy, so nothing becomes a late fee problem on top of everything else

• A shared “where things live” file, documents, logins, contacts, including key professionals

These are not fun conversations, but they are often a gift to future selves and to siblings who may need to step in.

When preparations have been made, families can give more time and attention to what actually matters.

What can a $5 Frappuccino teach your teen about building wealth?

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and here's a number worth sharing at the dinner table.

If your teen opens a Roth IRA at 18 with $1,000 from a part-time job and adds $1,000 a year, that single account could be worth nearly $500,000 by age 65. Tax-free.

Think they can't save $1,000 a year? Skipping the daily Frappuccino more than covers it.

But the best financial education isn't about the math. It's about real decisions with real consequences.

A few things that actually work:

• Hand them cash instead of a credit card for shopping. Let them keep what they don't spend.

• Give them a clothing budget for the year. If they blow it by October, that's the lesson.

• Have the college money talk before they fall in love with a school. As one counselor put it, "Have the conversation before they buy the hoodie."

• With the Roth IRA, you can show them that there are certain rules with certain accounts. For example, to qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings, Roth IRA distributions must meet a 5-year holding requirement and occur after age 59½. Also, tax-free and penalty-free withdrawals can also be taken under certain other circumstances, such as the owner's death. The original Roth IRA owner is not required to take minimum annual withdrawals.

What's one money lesson you wish someone had taught you earlier?