‘It feels like a lose-lose’: I have a $10 million net worth. My father-in-law has dementia. Am I responsible for my in-laws if they run out of money?
‘They have a person who has managed their money for many years, but they are overly trusting.’
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The Moneyist
Providing answers to life's money questions
Do you have questions about inheritance, tipping, weddings, re-gifting, or any tricky money issues relating to family and friends? Send them to MarketWatch's Moneyist.
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Do I need to tell prospective buyers that my husband died in the living room of our home? Exactly what must be disclosed before selling a house?
‘What am I obliged to tell people who are interested in buying my house?’
‘I’m considering a prenup’: My fiancé is moving to the U.S. to live with me. My home is paid off. Would it be fair to ask him to pay all of my household expenses?
'I also want to make sure that after he's established here and finds a job, we're making good financial decisions.'
‘Am I being preyed upon?’ After my mother died, my cousin took her designer purse, and my aunt snatched her artwork — but then things really escalated
‘I live paycheck to paycheck due to the high cost of rent and my student-loan debt.’
‘My family is dealing with a significant shock’: My father secretly married his caregiver, who is 40 years his junior. She’ll inherit $80 million. What can we do?
‘There was a prenuptial agreement, but our lawyers said it was poorly written.'
‘My elderly uncle’s lady friend is very manipulative’: He loaned a lot of money to this girlfriend. How can we protect him? Will she be able to contest his will?
‘He is opposed to marriage because he understandably doesn’t want to lose half of his wealth for a second time.’
‘I would feel guilty charging her $600’: One of my two roommates moved out, and my girlfriend is moving in. Should I charge her the same rent?
‘My current roommate is paying $500, and the old roommate paid $600. Both are well below market rate.’
‘I was once an emotionally unkempt individual’: I’m 27, was raised in poverty, and work in a grocery store. I have $8,000 in debt. Can you help?
‘There is a pressure to turn my finances around because I'm in a serious relationship with a guy who makes great money and owns his own home.’
My girlfriend admitted to having ‘some’ student debt, but I just found out she owes $83,000. Should we still plan to buy a house together?
‘I’m not sure it's my obligation to repay her debt.'
‘I feel like a sucker’: I bought stock for $18 after an IPO. The underwriter’s brokerage house had a $30 price target. It fell below $1. How could they get it so wrong?
‘It seems they put a high price target to generate interest in the IPO.’
‘She is a grifter’: My father set up a $500,000 trust for my troubled sister, and asked me to be trustee. What are the risks involved in being a trustee?
'Can you help me understand the risks involved in being a trustee?'
‘I’m not the only person in the U.S. with this problem’: I’m 61, unemployed, and live in a rental. My $50,000 in savings will run out this year. What’s my next move?
'I quit my job in 2014 in order to take care of my elderly parents so they could live out their lives in their own home.'
‘It’s still painful’: My wife of just one year left me, took all her belongings and won’t answer her phone. How do I protect my finances?
‘I feel as if I’m grieving. She hasn’t said anything and won’t answer her phone.’
‘I’m afraid to tell my spouse’: I maxed out my credit cards and racked up $100,000 in debt due to my gambling addiction. Can you help?
‘We, as a family, tend to live beyond our means, but I amplify that with my secret addiction.’
My ex-partner earns 3 times my salary and ‘demanded’ I pay 50% of our daughter’s medical bills. Is that fair?
‘When there's a big disparity in pay — is 50% of dinner, mortgage, medical bills, vacation, utilities and other shared expenses justified?’
‘I don’t have any other debt’: I have $40,000 in student loans, but saved $70,000 due to deferred payments. I live in the Bay Area. What should I do with this money?
‘I am contributing 15% to my 401(k) between my input and the company match.’
‘We live in purgatory’: My wife has a multimillion-dollar trust fund, but my mother-in-law controls it. We earn $400,000 and spend beyond our means. What’s our next move?
‘I worry about how much we are spending on dining out and groceries, while at the same time discussing a near $1 million renovation of our apartment.’
‘My sister is always struggling with money and drugs’: I own a house with my husband and mother. Should we cut my sister out of the family inheritance?
‘There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that my sister would try to get her share.’
‘I felt hoodwinked’: My contractor charged me $3,000 for a new door after quoting me $2,000, so I canceled the job and check. Should I pay his $30 returned-check fee?
‘I was confused and felt under pressure.’
‘The wheels came off our relationship’: My ex-boyfriend paid $2,000 for a vacation. Now he wants his money back. Am I obligated to pay?
'After we were dating for three months, he offered to take me on a trip to the Caribbean. I was just about to turn 40, and I work as a public-school teacher.'
‘I feel very hurt’: My late wife’s parents cut me out of their will — and reduced my daughter’s inheritance. We’re being punished after I remarried. What do we do?
‘Before my first wife was diagnosed with cancer, her father told me that if anything ever happened to my wife, I would receive one-third of their inheritance.’
