Investing in Your Family as a Stay-at-Home Parent

Financially Speaking

by Rupa Pereira

If I were to ask you – what’s the hardest job in America and if you would sign up for free, what would be your response? No-brainer, right?

Well, if you’re a parent – you just have.

Yes, you may have had to forsake gainful income to actively invest in your children’s future or you’ve engaged a team to help you with active management while you stay involved more as a passive investor. Either way, parenting feels like a thankless, endless, endurance-building job, but with some meaningful returns over a long-term horizon.

What’s involved in active parenting and why would it generate better returns? Has parenting evolved since the time we were kiddos? Absolutely, 100%!

Back in the 70s and 80s, I was raised in a household in India with traditional roles - Dad worked out of the home and was Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, while Mom was Chief Operating Officer and head of Human Resources. At the time, this was a typical model and children benefited from a functioning family unit backed up with extended family support.

Today is a different story. In an age marked by rapid digitization, globalization, social media barrage and career pursuits – nuclear families are under pressure to keep up with the Joneses and continually shift their goalposts. All that is good, except that two income household scenarios have spurred the family to outsource roles that previously were managed in-house, caregiving being one of them.

Count me among the delegators - post MBA, after the birth of my 2nd daughter, I decided that it’s important to pursue my career ambitions while my husband pursues his. What made it justifiable was my girls thrived in daycare and preschool, so it seemed. The cracks, however, started to show. CFO, COO and HR duties began to slip since both parents were busy being CEOs.

Families are vulnerable to a variety of challenges, including financial stress, health issues, and interpersonal conflicts. In addition, modernity is a mixed blessing - we’re inundated with comforts and conveniences and quick fixes of what society can offer but is there a hidden cost - and it cuts right to the heart and soul of the family. If these vital organs are not nourished regularly, the investments (i.e., children and family relationships) may underperform in the long run even while generating some quick gains.

Financially Speaking continued on page 96

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