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5 basic principles to follow when giving adult children money

The link between money and relationships is undeniable. Money issues can break couples apart, destroy relationships between siblings and cause tension between parents and adult children. Parents have an important role in ensuring their children are not only financially literate but are able to make sound financial decisions and act responsibly with their money. There is big difference between financial literacy and financial capability. This means parents have a continuing role to guide their children past childhood so they not only understand money concepts but know how to put them into practice as they face major decisions and events in their adult life. However, different attitudes towards money and expectations about parental responsibilities can cause serious issues for both parents and adult children. To what extent should parents interfere with or criticise their children's financial decisions and behaviour? Is it reasonable for adult children to expect financial assistance from their parents at times of need? At what point should parents expect their children to be self-sufficient? Every parent wants to see their children succeed but there are different philosophies about how best to help children get ahead in life. Some parents feel the best way to help their children is to give them a hand through gifts of money or interest-free loans. Others think it is only by children pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps that they will learn how to be successful. These deep philosophical differences can be problematic when one parent has a different view from the other and when children have expectations of parents which are not aligned with their parents' philosophy. Parents give money to their children because it makes them feel as though they are being better parents. It is good to give to others, especially your own family, but there are dangers involved. Giving too much or too often can lead to financial dependency, lack of responsibility, repeated poor financial behaviour, enablement of problem behaviours such as addictions or over-spending, delayed retirement or increased financial risk for parents, and resentment from siblings if one child is seen to be receiving more assistance than the others. There are some basic principles which will help decide how and when to support adult children: Decide how much you can afford to give Every financial decision has long-term consequences. The more you give to your children, the less you will have later on to pay off your mortgage or save for retirement. Make sure you are financially secure before helping others, or financial strife will simply transfer from them to you. Set clear expectations Have conversations with your children about what you are prepared to help them with and to what extent. If you are providing ongoing support, set a time limit for how long this will continue. Expect your children to make a contribution rather than giving them all of what they need. Act like a banker If your adult children went to the bank to borrow money they would need to fully disclose their assets, debts, income and expenses so the bank could decide whether to lend or not. You need to do the same. Make sure you understand why your children are in the situation they are in and what behaviours they need to change to avoid being in the same situation again. If you expect money to be repaid, you need to know how likely it is that this will happen. Get legal advice for large sums It may be necessary to have written loan agreements for large sums to avoid disputes later. If your adult child has a partner, you will need to consider what might happen to a loan or gift to your child in the event that the relationship ends as it may become relationship property. Consider your other children Be upfront with your other children about what help you are giving and why. Sibling rivalry is natural, and children can feel deeply hurt by being treated unequally unless they understand the reasons. Equality can be achieved in the long run by making adjustments to how your estate is divided, taking into account prior assistance. It is good to help your adult children but in many cases, teaching them how to make better financial choices is more beneficial than handing out money. Do you agree with this advice? Written by Liz Koh. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Retirement Income

"He's basically a pig": Erin Molan and Piers Morgan slam Kyrgios

News

Basic tips for staying healthier throughout winter

The cooler months are just around the corner and the last thing we want is to not feel our ultimate best. We can all admit that we’d rather be in bed under a warm blanket, watching TV, bingeing on junk food rather than going out to the gym, or making healthy foods because takeout is so much easier. However, it is just as important to stay fit and healthy in winter as it is in summer. Below are the Top Six ways to do just that. <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Eat immune boosting foods </li> </ol> To ensure an ultimate healthy lifestyle, it is recommended to stick to foods from the five food groups. Need a refresher? They include: vegetables and legumes/beans, fruit, lean meat, fish, poultry, grains and cereal, milk, cheese and yoghurt. Stay on top of your Vitamin C which is in most fruits and veggies. Zinc is just as important and could be found in most animal products, nuts and seeds. Iron is also one to stay on top of which can be found in meat, beans, lentils and even spinach. <ol start="2"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Drink water </li> </ol> Water is just as important in the cooler months as it is in the warmer seasons. Stay hydrated however is not just limited to water, you can drink as much soup, tea as you want and it all helps. <ol start="3"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Stay active </li> </ol> The weather may not be in your favour but there are many fun indoor activities you can get up to. Indoor rock climbing, obstacle courses, dance class…whatever tickles your fancy. Or just join the gym. <ol start="4"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Limit the alcohol intake </li> </ol> Alcohol affects our mood, sleep and energy levels which in turn can leave us feeling more stressed and exhausted. It also increases the risk of having a stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease and cancers. We’re not saying to give it up completely, but it will help a lot if you reduce how much you drink. <ol start="5"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Practice good hygiene </li> </ol> After three years of the pandemic this should be second nature. <ol start="6"> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Get some Vitamin D </li> </ol> Take advantage of the good weather whenever it arrives. When you see the sun, pop on some sunscreen, shades and hat and go out for a walk in the park, at the beach or grab a coffee with some friends. Image: Shutterstock

Body

10 ways to save money by going back to basics

When the story of the current zeitgeist comes to be written, it might well be captured in a four-word slogan that defined the spirit of wartime Britain. Part admonition, part joyful declaration of intent, "Make Do and Mend" became the catchcry of a generation that kept calm and carried on through the darkest days of World War II. The slogan was adopted by the British Ministry of Information as part of a general campaign of advice on everything from growing vegetables, disguising leftovers and making new clothes from old. Woollen jumpers were unpicked and reknitted, government-issue blankets upcycled into skirts and jackets and municipal flower beds given over to cabbages and carrots. Today, as the world confronts fresh environmental and economic hardships, the lessons of that time are being heeded with a growing sense of urgency. We’ve put together 10 ways to save money by going back to basics. To see them all, scroll through the gallery above. And if you’ve got any additional tips please let us know! Written by Lindy Percival. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Money & Banking

Sharon Stone shares her Basic Instinct audition tape

Basic Instinct shocked the world in 1992 with its explicit sexual content and grotesque violence, and helped Sharon Stone shoot to stardom as the author Catherin Tramell. Now the actress has shared her audition on Twitter, and it’s as shocking as you’d think: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BasicInstinct?src=hash">#BasicInstinct</a> audition tape for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WaybackWednesday?src=hash">#WaybackWednesday</a> <a href="https://t.co/TaApP2HmJS">pic.twitter.com/TaApP2HmJS</a> — Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/sharonstone/status/895313186190000128">August 9, 2017</a></blockquote> What are your thoughts? Have you ever seen Basic Instinct?

Movies

Back to basics: 3 Microsoft Word tips

Lisa Du is director of <a href="https://readytechgo.com.au/" target="_blank">ReadyTechGo</a>, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology. Microsoft Word is a great program that is used daily by many users. We have plucked three tips from our bag of goodies and present them to you below! We know (and hope) that these time-saving tricks will put a little smile on your face when you test them out (it did for me). Maybe you can reply and tell us a few tips of your own! We always love passing on tips from our readers. Use these tips however you like... for efficiency or productivity, for fun or to just plain show off to your friends and family. Ok smarty pants here we go! Tip number 1 To select an entire paragraph, make three rapid left mouse clicks anywhere in the paragraph. Voila! (combine this with a tip from a few weeks ago, and you can then hold down the SHIFT key and press the F3 key). Your whole paragraph will change to upper case letters. Tip number 2 To select a whole sentence, click anywhere in a sentence while holding the Ctrl key down. Too easy! Tip number 3 A tip from one of our keen readers Ian Adair. Ian's tip is another way to change the case while using Microsoft Outlook or Word. Ian even sent us image snippets for this 1 step tip (Thanks Ian)!. <img width="500" height="114" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/35394/in-text-one_500x114.jpg" alt="In -text -one (6)"/> 1. If using Microsoft Outlook, once you have typed your sentence click on the "Aa" icon (see image below) <img width="495" height="120" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/35395/in-text-two_495x120.jpg" alt="In -text -two (6)"/> 2. If using Microsoft Word, once you have typed your sentence click on the "Aa" icon (see image below) Go on… give it a try! Do you have any tips to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Technology

The basic beauty products you need to look stylish

Beauty companies are forever trying to convince us to buy more stuff, but when it comes to looking well-groomed, you can cull your arsenal down to just a few key products. Hair Good hair is 80 per cent of the battle to looking good – such is the negative impact of a bad hair day. Find a cut and style that suits your actual hair texture (not the texture you wish you had) and commit to getting it trimmed every two to three months. You'll need to go much more often if you have short hair, so factor that into your style choice. If you want to be low-maintenance, either don't colour your hair or choose a shade fairly close to your natural hue. Sharp, unintentional, colour contrasts due to regrowth make you look instantly unkempt. You need one good styling tool you can easily use, whether that's a heated brush, straightening iron, curling tong or just your hair drier, plus a styling product that works well with it. If your hair tends to run wild, an accessory such as a headband, clip or even a stylish hat, is great to have on hand for bad hair 'emergencies'. Skin Unless you have problem skin, you really only need a good cleanser and moisturiser, and perhaps some rosehip oil to use at night. To look polished, the main point with skin is to have your foundation, BB cream or tinted moisturiser in the right shade for your face. Get someone in a store to colour-match you so you avoid the classic trap of having your neck a different colour from your face. If you occasionally have blemishes or dark circles under the eyes (i.e. most of us) then a little concealer won't hurt either. A brush to blend your foundation is also helpful. Makeup Groomed brows give your look instant polish. Get them done once by a professional, then maintain the look at home with tweezers. As for the rest of the eyes, choose a look you can easily master. Mascara would be the minimum (go for brown if you prefer a natural look), but choose liner and cream shadow or powder shadow if you can easily apply it and it suits you. On lips, bright colours can be best left to experts – soft peach, rose or beige will never take your look into garish territory. For nails, invest in a manicure set so nails are clean and clipped reasonably short. Simply buff, or add nude or clear polish. What you don't need They're trendy and fun to experiment with, but are definitely not essential for a polished look. <ul> <li>A contouring kit</li> <li>An eye palette that has more than four shades</li> <li>More than three lipstick shades (work, evening and weekend)</li> <li>Specialty makeup-artist type products, such as primer, finishing spray or colour corrector</li> <li>False eyelashes</li> <li>Multiple hair appliances</li> <li>Multiple hair styling products</li> </ul> Written by Melissa Williams-King. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Beauty & Style

Back to basics: How to Copy, Paste, and Delete files

Lisa Du is director of <a href="http://www.readytechgo.com.au/" target="_blank">ReadyTechGo</a>, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology. For Windows users There are many different ways to perform these functions on a computer file. We’ll give you the simplest. <ol> <li>Perform a right-hand click of your mouse on the file you wish to copy or delete. This will summon a drop-down menu, which will give you a variety of options of what you can do with the file</li> <li>These options include copy and delete. Simply click on one of these functions with your mouse to perform them!</li> <li>If you click on “Delete”, a window will pop up requiring you to confirm the deletion. After you’ve done so, the file will be deleted</li> <li>If you click on “Copy”, the computer will create a copy of that file</li> <li>To paste this file into another folder, first go to that folder</li> <li>Perform a right-hand click of your mouse anywhere within the window of the folder</li> <li>In the drop-down menu that appears, click on “Paste”. The copied file will then appear in this window.</li> </ol> <img width="294" height="480" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33187/image-1.jpg" alt="Image 1 (6)"/> For those of you who are looking for an even quicker way to perform these functions, here are some useful shortcuts. <ol> <li>Highlight the file you wish to copy or delete by clicking on it</li> <li>To delete the file, simply press the “Delete” button on your keyboard, and then confirm the deletion. Done!</li> <li>To copy the file, press and hold down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard</li> <li>At the same time, press and hold down the “C” key, and then let go of both. This will copy the file!</li> <li>To paste this file into another folder, first go to that folder</li> <li>Press and hold down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard</li> <li>At the same time, press and hold down the “V” key, and then let go of both. The copied file will then appear in this window.</li> </ol> <img width="500" height="200" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33188/image-2_500x200.jpg" alt="Image 2 (5)"/> For Mac users The process for copying, pasting, and deleting files is much the same for Mac users! <ol> <li>Perform a right-hand click of your mouse on the file you wish to copy or delete. This will summon a drop-down menu, which will give you a variety of options of what you can do with the file</li> <li>These options include copy and delete. Simply click on one of these functions with your mouse to perform them!</li> <li>If you click on “Move To Trash”, the file will be deleted</li> <li>If you click on “Copy”, the computer will create a copy of that file</li> <li>To paste this file into another folder, first go to that folder</li> <li>Perform a right-hand click of your mouse anywhere within the window of the folder</li> <li>In the drop-down menu that appears, click on “Paste Item”. The copied file will then appear in this window.</li> </ol> <img width="240" height="480" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33189/image-3.png" alt="Image 3 (3)"/> Like Windows users, Mac users have the option to use shortcuts, too. <ol> <li>Highlight the file you wish to copy or delete by clicking on it</li> <li>To delete the file, simply drag the file to the “Trash” icon on the far right-hand side of your Dock. Done!</li> <li>To copy the file, press and hold down the “Command” key on your keyboard</li> <li>At the same time, press and hold down the “C” key, and then let go of both. This will copy the file!</li> <li>To paste this file into another folder, first go to that folder</li> <li>Press and hold down the “Command” key on your keyboard</li> <li>At the same time, press and hold down the “V” key, and then let go of both. The copied file will then appear in this window.</li> </ol> <img width="495" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33190/image-4_495x245.jpg" alt="Image 4 (1)"/> For more tech-tips, visit <a href="https://readytechgo.com.au/">ReadyTechGo.</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2017/01/how-to-take-a-screenshot/">How to take a screenshot</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2016/12/internet-tips-to-make-your-life-better/">4 internet tips to make your life better</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2016/12/what-to-do-to-when-you-lose-unsaved-documents/">What to do to when you lose unsaved documents</a>

Technology

The basic spelling test everyone is failing

In these days of autocorrect and spellcheck, it’s never been easier to let basic grammar and spelling fall by the wayside. We’ve undertaken a few grammar challenges <a href="/news/news/2016/09/simple-grammar-test-90-percent-fail/" target="_blank">before</a>, but this viral quiz is stumping even those who think their spelling is up to scratch. Flip through the gallery above and give it a try for yourself, you might be surprised by the results! Tell us in the comments how many you correctly guessed. Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/09/10-common-words-weve-been-saying-wrong/">10 common words we’ve been saying wrong</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/09/simple-grammar-test-90-percent-fail/">The simple grammar test 90% of people fail</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/09/can-you-solve-this-maths-problem/">Can you solve the kids’ maths problem stumping the internet?</a>

News

Back to basics: How to upload photos to Facebook

Social media is made for sharing photos and memories with your friends and family. If you’re not sure of the best way to upload photos to Facebook, here’s our quick guide. To post a photo to your Facebook timeline: <ol start="1"> <li>At the top of your News Feed, click Add Photos/Videos to post to your Facebook page. Click Create Photo Album to upload to a new photo album.</li> <li>Select the photos or videos from your computer or smartphone you want to add to Facebook. You can also tag friends, share what you’re feeling or doing, and add a location to your photo.</li> <li>Click Post. Your photo will now appear on your Facebook.</li> </ol> To upload a photo an existing photo album: <ol> <li>Go to the album you want to add more photos to.</li> <li>Click Add Photos in the top right.</li> <li>Pick the images you want to upload and click Post Photos.</li> </ol> To upload a photo in a Facebook comment: <ol start="1"> <li>Go to the post and click the camera on the right side of the text box</li> <li>Choose the photo you want to attach</li> <li>You can also write a comment to post with your photo. Press Enter to post photo and comment.</li> </ol> Related links: <a href="/entertainment/technology/2015/11/new-things-you-can-do-on-ios9-iphone-and-ipad/">10 new things you can do on your iPhone and iPad</a> <a href="/entertainment/technology/2015/11/free-upgrades-to-gadgets/">5 ways to upgrade your gadgets for free</a> <a href="/entertainment/technology/2015/11/android-phones-security-phone/">Android phones at risk of hacking</a>

Technology

Back to basics: Three ways to email photos

If you’re looking to (privately) share your digital happy snaps with friends and family afar, here’s our guide to emailing photos. From an email account 1. Open a new email in your email account. 2. Click “Attach” (or paperclip icon). 3. Choose photo you wish to attach. 4. Finish writing email and send. Top tip: Another quick way of attaching photos to emails is simply dragging picture files from your computer directly into an open email message. The photos will appear in the body of the email. This option doesn’t allow you to choose the size of the pictures though and will appear as the original size. From computer Note: This only work if you have email program installed on your computer 1. Open the picture you want to email. 2. On the toolbar, click “Email”. 3. An “Attach Files” box will pop up. Select a picture size from the menu. Click “Attach”. Depending on your internet connection, you might want to make the image smaller so it will be easier to send. However, this means the quality of the image won’t be as high as the original image. Medium is generally a good size to send without losing quality. 4. Your computer will open a new email message with the picture attached. 5. Write your email and click send. From smartphone 1. Open the photo you want to email on your smartphone 2. Tap the “Share” icon, usually located on the bottom of the screen. On iPhones, it looks like a rectangle with an arrow coming out of it and on Android phones, it’s a circle with two arrows coming out of it. 3. A menu will appear with a few options to share your photo. Tap “Mail”. 4. A new email will now appear with your photo in the body of the message. Write your email and click send. 5. Before your message sends, you will be asked what size you want the emailed photo to be. Tap on your preferred choice and send away.

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5 basic principles to follow when giving adult children money

"He's basically a pig": Erin Molan and Piers Morgan slam Kyrgios

Basic tips for staying healthier throughout winter

10 ways to save money by going back to basics

Sharon Stone shares her Basic Instinct audition tape

Back to basics: 3 Microsoft Word tips

The basic beauty products you need to look stylish

Back to basics: How to Copy, Paste, and Delete files

The basic spelling test everyone is failing

Back to basics: How to upload photos to Facebook

Back to basics: Three ways to email photos