If your parents are not wealthy, do not make the same financial decisions they made.
I understand this is touching, and it may sound judgmental or biased, but it's the truth and the way the cookie crumbles.
Most of our parents are excellent, and very good to us. But if they made some financial missteps, there's no point repeating the same mistakes, or you end up being their replica financially.
So, do you have a retirement plan? Or are you hoping, just like your parents probably thought, that your own children will be your retirement plan?
If you start planning for retirement five years before you reach retirement age, you've gambled unknowingly with life and lost far too much time.
Nothing stops you from starting now. And if you feel behind, it's better late than never.
Set aside a small amount of money as an investment toward your retirement. The goal is to maintain the lifestyle you have now when you hit 60, so you don't put pressure on people who might not be able to help you the way you were hoping.
Why be at someone else's mercy when you can start planning right now?
This shouldn't take so much convincing. You don't need to think too much about it before making the decision and taking action.
Get that retirement account and start putting money away for your future. You owe it to yourself.