Q: We have a lovely 19-year-old granddaughter who is in her second year of college. She made straight A's in high school, was happy and popular.

Now she is struggling to make C's, has gained a lot of weight and wants to quit college. Neither her parents nor we can we understand her problem. How can we help her refocus her talents?

A: Some psychologists believe individuals do not mature until they become 26. Some of the root causes for this could be failure to assume responsibility; America's 50 percent divorce rate; being spoiled as children; too many scheduled sports and required social interactions, and not enough free time as children Also, many families do not pencil in enough family time on their calendar.

The development of the computer and its offspring, the youth's "secret" languages, such as texting, and other distracting child raising factors are also concerns. What parent or grandparent doesn't feel alone driving if their child or grandchild is listening to their iPod or playing on their computer?

Because of your inability to open up to your granddaughter about her problems, it indicates that your family needs professional help. If your family doesn't know the problem, you can't solve it. Possibly her reasons could be her classes are too difficult, relationship issues, unpopularity, health or psychological problems. Maybe she is simply bored? Would recommending she delay college and get a job for a couple of years work as a solution?

Remember, money isn't everything, but it keeps the kids in touch!

Q: In the last three years, in retirement, our assets have gone down about 22 percent in value. Losses in our stocks and real estate are the primary causes. We now fear inflation is silently rearing its head. Our cereal boxes are larger, but their content is less. The more we read the financial pages and listen to the political experts, we find ourselves more uncertain than ever. What's your read on our future?

A: The direction of investments has become the "billion dollar question." We are bombarded with so much information and differing opinions, we cannot decide how to invest. We cannot change what we cannot control, but monitoring our portfolios and forgetting its past performance is our best hope. Attempt to find a common sense investment counselor who has a reasonable track record, understands your personal goals and you have the ability to monitor his or her actions.

If their performance does not match your needs, do not hesitate to make a change. Professional advisors can no longer rely on historical data. Just juggling clients' time horizons, rebalancing their portfolios and asset locations, choosing stocks versus mutual funds, diversifying assets into growing industries, holding cash versus investing, guessing whether stocks or bonds will increase the most in value are just some of the options.

In the business world, "the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield," according to Warren Buffett!

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life in a Southern California retirement community. Contact him at [email protected]. To find out more about Doug Mayberry and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.