If she outright asks, you can assume that your input is required or desired. The hows will obviously matter.

As for the empathy vs practicality -

This is general advice, not just for relationships (and I'm taking a cue off you to answer this, even though you didn't ask XD):

People prefer it if they come up with their own solutions. It doesn't mean that you should never give advice (even if they don't outright ask for it - that's a tricky situation, because it's a thin line between picking up their 'slack' and being patronizing), or not seek help when you're stuck.

To some extent it is an ego thing, but not in the sense of being vain or proud - most people crave autonomy and competence (wanting to feel they can accomplish things by themselves).

This will involve a lot of trial and error, at least in your first couple of decades. Most people will at some point have mastered some MO where they can make good decisions, based on their experience (which will heavily influence how well you can predict outcomes). Most people will also still get stuck occasionally and then seek input, which they will then have to implement in their own meaningful way (I guess this is the ideal outcome - a compromise between being self-sufficient but still connected with others). What will - in my experience - remain is that people need to feel seen and acknowledged, and have their feelings and thoughts validated. If you were to fully explore that, it would lead you into all sorts of interesting realms - psychology, philosophy, spirituality... as it will involve a lot of dealing with the issue of 'what is reality'. Just a brief example: If your girlfriend was sitting at home in the evening, crying and saying 'everybody was so MEAN to me today',