Dear Liz: Regarding your recent column advising recent college grads to keep living like students: I helped my three children do just that. I had them live at home rent-free for six months after graduation and told them to save money like crazy.
Then when they rented an apartment, they would have the rental deposit saved as well as money for utilities, food and so on. I taught them to cook simple nutritional meals. We had already given each kid a car senior year and covered the insurance. I took home equity lines of credit to pay college tuitions, room and board, so they had no debts and six months to transition to serious responsibilities.
Answer: You’ve given your children a good head start in life at a time when so many others are starting out deeply in debt. Hopefully you didn’t do so at the expense of your own finances.
Home equity lines of credit may seem like cheap money, but the rates are variable and could spike if interest rates rise. If the debt is relatively small and can be paid off in a few years, that’s one thing.
If the debt is large and you can’t pay it off quickly, though, you may have put your home (and your retirement) at risk.