Dad needs to work on his communication skills—it'll cost him a lot less. When dealing with the travails of adult children of baby boomers, women are engaging in more regular financial conversations with their families, but men may be more willing to reach for their wallets.

These are among the details from the Money Across Generations II study, released in mid-June by Ameriprise Financial, which finds there are significant differences in how American men and women approach money matters, especially those concerning their adult children and parents.

One of the more shocking findings is that fully 93 percent of baby boomers say they have provided financial support to their adult children, with fathers are significantly more likely than mothers to have helped fund an automobile purchase (58 percent vs. 48 percent) or co-signed a loan or lease agreement (42 percent vs. 32 percent).