Nine in 10 parents of adult children admit to having helped their children financially — and a third of them concede that this aid is setting back their retirement aspirations, according to financial firm Ameriprise. You have to learn how to say no. If the kids need money, let them get loans. They have many decades to repay it and you can always help later. The bonus: research shows that kids who get cut off in their early twenties tend to become bigger lifetime earners. And don't extend their medical or other insurance under your plan beyond the normal expiration age of 23 to 25. They can buy their own coverage if employed or use college loans to get covered through the university if they are still in school; they can also get coverage under Medicaid if they have little income.