We've had the same opportunities and similar earnings during our careers.
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.
I think we wandered off a bit, but somehow, now I’m hungry.
Blurtit misses our dialogues. Trust me.
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.