Discussion » Questions » Family » How much should I help an adult sibling who is struggling financially in retirement as a result of making poor decisions?

How much should I help an adult sibling who is struggling financially in retirement as a result of making poor decisions?

We've had the same opportunities and similar earnings during our careers. 

Posted - March 4, 2020

Responses


  • 5391

    Surely, we can only speculate from out here in the peanut gallery, every case is different.
    I would suggest you go with what your heart tells you, but not at the expense of your better judgment. You have to live your life, and deserve to reap the fruits of your labors and peace of mind; that they may have squandered theirs, as you imply, isn’t your fault or responsibility. Take on as much or as little as a clear conscience allows, uless you sense the effort to be too great a drag or simply futile. You didn’t put them in that hole. 

    Help might be as much about giving guidance and making connections to other sources as it is about handing out money. I’ve always been a believer of the old maxim;
    Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.

      March 4, 2020 7:39 PM MST
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  • 11015
    Thank you, that's good advice. I think family members have certain roles and mine has always been caregiver. I can never fully grasp why others don't feel the same need to make everything better for someone else. This post was edited by Jane S at March 9, 2020 3:08 PM MDT
      March 5, 2020 4:20 AM MST
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  • 7280
    Well, lobster is a not a fish; lobster is a crustacean---you are no help to me at all.  (lol) 

    And another interesting bit of information from the internet:

    Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. ... Despite the name, shellfish are not actually fish, but are simply water-dwelling animals.

    Also, Crustaceans include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. 

    (Superb ideas for tonight's dinner, come to think of it.)

    By the way, my Blurtit password disappeared; and I am so far unable to reset it per the prescribed request option---please pass the word that I may be unable to rejoin.  (I'll keep you posted.)

    EDIT:

    Of course, drill is not a traditional food in the human diet; and Barnacles are eaten mainly in Spain and Portugal but also end up on the plate in other European countries and are increasingly eaten in North America Only the fleshy stems of Goose Barnacle are edible. ... Gathering edible barnacles is difficult and dangerous.
      This post was edited by tom jackson at March 5, 2020 11:50 AM MST
      March 5, 2020 10:01 AM MST
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  • 44623
    Uh...I think you answered the wrong question.
      March 5, 2020 11:50 AM MST
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  • 7280
    I was responding to the last sentence  in Don Barzini's answer.

    I will occasionally make a comment about something while my wife and I are watching the news on TV.  She will occasionally ask "Where did that come from?"

    Explaining the original thought that engendered the comment is a little like trying to trace an internet post back to its origin after it's been bounced from server to server around the world.

    She still will occasionally ask, but less often than she used to.
      March 6, 2020 12:40 PM MST
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  • 5391

    I think we wandered off a bit, but somehow, now I’m hungry. 

    Blurtit misses our dialogues. Trust me. 

      March 5, 2020 5:37 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I believe you---so do I.

    And requests to change my password have gone unanswered.

    And I was responding to the last sentence in your answer where you mentioned teaching a man to fish...---and I had crab and shrimp for dinner last night.
      March 6, 2020 12:44 PM MST
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  • 44623
    And tonight we had shrimp, fish and crab cakes.
      March 6, 2020 3:30 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I guess good ideas are always good ideas on any continent.
      March 6, 2020 3:39 PM MST
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  • 7408

    Not much financially, in my opinion. With out going into detail, I understand the guilt involved with being financially secure and seeing a family  member struggle financially due to poor decisions on their part.  I don’t think you should have to give up what you’ve worked for because of someone else’s poor planning and decision making.  I would offer support in the form of helping them find resources to supplement their retirement income and find affordable housing, maybe invite them around for meals more often.... Unless you’re a millionaire or something...in that case I’d like a pony, STAT. 

      March 5, 2020 9:08 AM MST
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  • 11015
    In theory, I agree. It's hard for me to do. I try to draw the line at providing for day-to-day expenses, but I find myself always picking up the check.
      March 5, 2020 9:23 AM MST
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  • 7280
    Many years ago, I had a "ne'er-do-well" sister-in-law whose income never seemed to match her outgo.

    It was suggested to me at the time that my wife and I sit down and decide what our maximum assistance level would be and then stick to it.

    That turned out to be both reasonable and practical and allowed for a clear understanding of important issues that should govern such a relationship without the burden of the emotions which an emergency might cause.
      March 5, 2020 10:09 AM MST
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  • 5451
    This is really tough because my husband is going through the same thing with my father-in-law.  You can do what you think is right at the time and still end up feeling guilty and second-guessing yourself if it turns out badly.  In the case of my father-in-law, none of the help my husband offered was good enough.  My father-in-law tells people exactly how he expects them to help him and nothing else is even considered with him.

    I have another time bomb waiting to explode with my own mom.  She's 58, has only $5057 in her 401(k), and has only been working six years so she probably won't get much for social security benefits.   I don't know why her 401(k) balance is so low unless she's only been doing something like adding 1% of her income per year.  Ugh, why do people do this?

    Anyway, the best advice I have is if you don't have the money to help her out you just don't.  You can't go broke or bankrupt yourself from trying to help someone else.  Your brother or sister's just going to have to find affordable housing.  My father-in-law makes $850/month with social security and has no other retirement income so he had to move into state housing which he wasn't very happy about.  He wanted to move in with us and not pay rent so he could keep buying new cars and toys but my husband just said no to that.  It didn't turn out well.

    You're just going to have to be really clear with your sibling about how you can and can't help and not let them talk you into something you can't do.
      March 5, 2020 10:57 AM MST
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  • 11015
    Thank you. I wouldn't mind helping so much, but for years she lived high on the hog and seemed to think I was a cheapskate because I didn't buy everything that caught my eye. She's not asking for help, but I know she's struggling.
      March 5, 2020 11:24 AM MST
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  • 44623
    That sounds like my sister. She made many bad decisions and still does. She now lives in a crappy house in the 'hood, and continues to spend what little money she earns on drugs and extravagant non-essentials. She's not getting a dime from me and she knows not to ask.
      March 5, 2020 11:57 AM MST
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  • 5808
    How much heart do you have?
      March 9, 2020 3:06 PM MDT
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  • 11015
    Too much. 
      March 9, 2020 3:10 PM MDT
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