Reply to Why do so many of you NW adults have Trust Funds or get parental help?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Maybe I am completely naive, but I am surprised that this is a widespread practice and perhaps even more surprised that people take it.   I cannot imagine taking any money from my parents, regardless of how well off they are. [/quote]

What would you suggest we do?  When Dh's grandfather wrote checks out to the grandkids for sevral years and sent them to each of them with a note about how much he wanted to give this to us to help us get a start, or when DH's dad sends a check (which he does with some frequency) saying he got a windfall and wanted to share, should we rip up the check?  Scrawl all over the letter, "We don't want your money because we can do it ourselves, godammit"?

We would never ask for help, but I would never insult them by taking such a stance on a gift.  I learned years ago after jockeying for years with my FIL that he still needs to be the parent.  He doesn't care that we can pay for everyone's dinner, for example.  If we are out he always insists on picking up the check, and I have finally stopped fighting him.  He wants to do it to show he is still the parent.  So we let him.  Why do we need to rub his nose in how much we don't need his influence (since we moved away from a place where he had some) or his money?[/quote]

It's not about rubbing his nose in it and honestly, if i were in your situation I am not sure how I would handle it. This is also your DH's family, so you have less leverage in terms of dealing with them and turning down their "gifts."

I think that having limited resources has shaped me immensely. It has forced me to become efficient, creative, self-relient, and responsible. I can't speak for those who have always had plenty of money available to them, but I wonder how they are responsible and independent in other aspects of their lives given that they've never *had* to support themselves. [/quote]

Life is not so black and white.  Everyone's life has things that shape them and things that are difficult. You may perceive that having less makes you "better" in some ways, but what I see in real life AND on this thread is that it also makes a lot of people bitter, defensive, and illogical.  We did have help with our downpayment from my parents and they put a few thousand dollars a year in our kids' 529s, and we know they can and will help us if we have an emergency. We work very hard ourselves (ER doctor and behavioral therapist for children with autism) and yes we live a fairly comfortable life, though not extravagant by this area's standards.  (As a point of reference our house cost right around $1 million.  My BIL/SIL are a firefighter and a secretary for the gov't, respectively, and they are constantly trying to game the system. My SIL was on disability for 2 years for an alleged "head injury" that she fully acknowledged was a crock of s**t, and my BIL is always trying to get on workers' comp.  They buy expensive clothes and TVs instead of saving a dime. They think the whole world is conspiring against them--EVERY job they ever got turned down from is due to "affirmative action".  And of course they think our lives are a cakewalk.

So yeah, having less doesn't necessarily bring out the best in everyone. Being lazy and entitled is no less likely if you're poor or rich. It's nice to think there's some kind of "reward" for having less, so it all evens out somehow, but that's just not true. [/quote]

My point isn't about having less, it is about not having everything handed to you. What you make of financial resources or lack thereof will affect whether you have less or not. You're right though, it is not easy. I have a hard time relating to peers (I am single and under 30) who have always had significant financial help from their parents because at times, I've felt a lot of stress and anxiety over the responsibility to support myself. It is better now that I have savings, but starting out was difficult and scary.

And yes, some poors are lazy. [/quote]

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