Written by Diane di Costanzo
Published Oct 06, 2026 | 6 minute read
Like many parents, I wasn’t quite ready for the empty-nest phase of my life. Maybe because there was so much to do before my son left for his gap year, I didn’t take the time to reflect on what would happen next. We dropped him off at the airport, bound for Nepal. Neither he nor his sister, already in college, would be home for months.
When I woke up the next morning in an oddly quiet house, I was swamped by emotions I couldn’t fully process: loss, melancholy and, generally, a feeling of unpreparedness.
For many households, becoming an empty nester marks one of the biggest lifestyle and financial transitions since becoming a parent. Daily routines may shift, child-related expenses may decline and you may find yourself rethinking everything from where you live to how you spend your time and money.
This guide is designed to help you enter that next phase with purpose and clarity.
At the start of your child-free phase, it’s critical to take stock of your financial life.
The goal? To create a postparenting financial baseline. Here’s how:
Now that you’ve identified what’s changed, decide how to put that money to work. Rather than letting extra money quietly disappear into everyday spending, intentionally direct it toward the goals that matter most in this next chapter.
Options include:
Stephanie McCullough, cohost of the award-winning Take Back Retirement podcast, is a big advocate of opening multiple savings accounts, each one dedicated to a different savings goal. You can open multiple savings accounts with Synchrony Bank.
“When I stopped paying my daughter’s rent, I allocated some of the monthly savings to a new car—in an account thus named,” McCullough says. “You’re less likely to withdraw from an account for some purpose other than the one stated in its name.”
READ MORE: How Bucketing Can Help You Save More Effectively
Now that his adult children have moved out, the 59-year-old Detroit-based George Baer III is on the eve of putting the family home on the market. Having found a smaller house in the same community, he and his wife will be able to pay off their mortgage, buy the new place in cash and make a nice contribution to their retirement fund.
A “win-win-win,” Baer says. “We’ll have fewer bedrooms, but we’re not taking on the year-round expense of a big house for the couple of weeks the kids happen to be home at the same time.”
My friend’s not alone in moving along: According to a 2026 National Association of Realtors (NAR) study, baby boomers are involved in 55% of all home sales, with “downsizing” a stated goal.
But “stated” is the operative word here. Retirement-age buyers often “mention the intention of downsizing,” says Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist and vice president of research, but many end up purchasing homes that are the same size as their old ones.
The lesson may be about taking your time when making housing decisions. After all, according to the Federal Reserve, the median sales price for a U.S. home is currently $410,700. That means your home might well be your biggest asset.
If downsizing isn’t right for you—or right for you right now—consider whether repurposing unused rooms for an alternative use or renovating outdated spaces might meet your needs and support your future goals instead.
READ MORE: 9 Key Home Renovations That Boost Resale Value
Think of empty nesting as not just the absence of a good thing—your children—but the emergence of good things to come.
For example: more free time to pursue meaningful and enjoyable activities. For me, that means seeing my friends more, playing tennis and going to yoga classes. My husband and I also travel more, and I’m trying to learn Spanish to support our adventures.
Not accidentally, these activities are associated with healthy aging, including a revived social network, stronger muscles and better balance, and the brain benefits of learning something new.
Those may not be your “good things”—and that’s the point. You’re free to pursue activities you love.
Of course, an empty nest doesn’t always stay empty. Your kids may well return before they move away permanently. According to NAR, a record 25.2 million adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025—more than at any point on record, including at the pandemic’s peak.
McCullough, who welcomed home her son, suggests “coming to an agreement about how much your returning offspring will contribute to the household budget.” This is not an easy conversation, but it’s an important one.
Think of it this way: You don’t want your adult child to be forced to support the elderly you if your retirement funds don’t last a lifetime. You’re better off protecting those funds now—while explaining to your kids why their financial independence is good for everyone.
The bottom line: “Securing your own financial future is never selfish,” McCullough says.
Empty nesting is also a natural time to revisit the financial plans you may have put on autopilot for years. Use this transition as an opportunity to confirm that your long-term strategy still reflects the life you’re building.
Ask yourself questions attached to these key categories:
READ MORE: Your Legacy Check-In: Beneficiaries, Trusted Contacts and Family Updates
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your empty-nest milestone. Actively parenting kids is a long haul, with 20-some years between birth and adulthood. Give yourself the gift of some R & R, whether that means a beach vacation sans offspring or quiet weekends in a hammock with a good book.
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Diane di Costanzo is a writer who covers personal finance, tennis, health, travel and real estate for various publications, including the United States Tennis Association, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Health and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. She is the former chief content officer at People Inc. and teaches a graduate-level media course at New York University