Chip Chick
Something we often have to worry about as we get older is our parents’ health and how they’ll continue to support themselves after retirement.
One man recently asked his wife, who makes a lot more money than him, to start sending money to his retired parents, and she said no.
He is a married teacher in the U.K. who makes a little over $52,000 a year. His wife works for a private sector. She’s very wealthy and makes around $400,000 annually. They split their finances, and his wife takes on about 70% of their costs.
He and his wife had very different upbringings. Her parents immigrated to give her and her sister a better life and succeeded, as both of them work high-paying jobs. His parents worked humble government jobs, and he’s the most successful over his sister, who has struggled to keep a steady job for most of her life.
He loves and appreciates his wife, especially because she’s helped their family members in the past. Once, when his sister was out of a job as a single mom, his wife found her a position as a secretary where she works. Now, his in-laws are retired, and his wife and sister-in-law can afford to send them around $2,600 monthly.
At first, he was confused as to why his in-laws needed that much money each month, but his wife assured him that none of the money was coming out of their joint bank accounts, so it was fine.
Then, he decided to ask his wife if she could spare some money and send it to his parents since they were also retired.
“She told me that if I could afford to send it from my own salary, I should,” he recalled.
“I was shocked and angry; my parents only had me to depend on while her sisters made a lot of money, so her parents would be fine either way.”
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