Sometimes things just work out. On May 18, my oldest granddaughter, Courtney, began her work as a nurse at UNC Lenoir Health Care. Her first week was orientation. That same day Sara – my oldest daughter and Courtney’s mom – came to our house to pick up Alli, her youngest. Alli had stayed with Sandra and me a few days.

As Sara sat in the living room visiting with us, her phone rang about 4:30 p.m. Courtney was calling. She told her mom she needed to make some work-related decisions and could use some advice.

“I am at Papa’s,” Sara said.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Courtney replied.

When Courtney arrived, she brought in a folder outlining benefits and insurance options offered through her new position. As she stared at page after page of information, she felt a little intimidated. Courtney wanted to make sound decisions, but she had little exposure to the background necessary for making them. Fortunately, she had two generations to help her through her first real “adult-ing” task.

Many young people have a vague understanding about insurance coverages, but their insurance coverage usually falls under parental plans. Now Courtney looked at options for dental, vision, and hospital insurance. Sara and I explained advantages, limitation, co-pays, deductibles, and premiums. As we talked through her choices, Courtney developed a clearer understanding of what she could expect from the various programs and which would best suit her needs.

Next we went over the 401(k) provisions. I explained the importance of saving money toward retirement. For a 21-year-old, retirement seems an eternity away. But those of us who have worked for a while understand that retirement creeps toward us – closer and closer – and then springs like a tiger. I recently saw a statistic that 42 percent of Americans arrive at retirement age with less than $10,000 in savings.

The typical person who retires at 66 will live until 79. Many will live longer. In fact, a 65-year-old woman has a 50-50 chance of living to 86.5, according to the Social Security Administration’s publication titled “Benefits Planner: Life Expectancy.” A 65-year-old man has a 50-50 chance of reaching age 84. Therefore, many people will live nearly 20 years on their retirement income and savings.

Sara and I encouraged Courtney to begin early putting as much money in her 401(k) as she can. We also advised choosing a balanced portfolio that includes some aggressive investments, moderate risk investments, and conservative investments.

We also reviewed her other benefits, such as sick leave and the schedule for PTO – paid time off. As a retired state employee, we called PTO “annual leave” while others call it vacation time.

In a limited amount of time, we gave her a crash course in insurance products, retirement efforts, and other important considerations. She already had a good grasp of pay differentials for nights, weekends, and holidays. Sara and I also stressed the importance of not living within your means, but living below your means. I know too many people who seem to live at 110 percent of their earning, a recipe for perpetual debt.

I am excited for Courtney as she enters the world of work. I am confident she will be an excellent nurse. After all, she is her mother’s daughter, and Sara is one of the finest nurses I know. I hope that when Courtney encounters other demands of “adult-ing,” she will be wise enough to talk to her mother – and/or to her Papa.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.