Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is all very interesting, but can someone explain this to me? So, I borrow money from my mom, and invest it. A year later, she dies. I never paid her back her money. Two years later I receive the return on the investment. I then have to pay the loan back to the estate? My brother would get half the amount of the loan. Right? Why would my brother get any of the profit from the investment?
OP has doled out the information strangely and in tidbits, but the money was supposed to be an "investment loan" on the grandmother's behalf, to create an "infusion of capital" to the grandmother herself, not to a loan to benefit the uncle. So both the amount of the loan and the proceeds from the loan are the grandmother's, not the uncle's. As she has passed, they go to the heirs and assigns, meaning OP's father and uncle (and any other siblings), equally.
Anonymous wrote:My father is 78 and his brother is 79, almost 80.
It is impossible to stay out of it because my father tells everyone that the money is for his children. He writes pages long emails to the entire family about how he hopes we will use the money.
For context, each of my siblings would receive about $3,000 before taxes. It isn’t a fortune. Maybe we could go on a nice cruise? However, we would lose out on our uncle and cousins at holidays, weddings, and other special events like religious milestones. Everyone would know the reason for the rift. I feel ashamed even thinking about it. I was not raised to think money was more important than family.
Anonymous wrote:If the loan wasn’t deducted from ur uncles half then ur dad has a valid legal claim whether or not you like it. It’s not fair for your dad to get screwed twice-once when he got less because he forgave it and once again when he doesn’t get the original split of the forgiven amount OR the benefits of the investment. Say ur piece to fleas and let him do what he wants. It’s none of the grandkids-you or your cousins-business. Stay above it.
Anonymous wrote:This is all very interesting, but can someone explain this to me? So, I borrow money from my mom, and invest it. A year later, she dies. I never paid her back her money. Two years later I receive the return on the investment. I then have to pay the loan back to the estate? My brother would get half the amount of the loan. Right? Why would my brother get any of the profit from the investment?
Anonymous wrote:This is all very interesting, but can someone explain this to me? So, I borrow money from my mom, and invest it. A year later, she dies. I never paid her back her money. Two years later I receive the return on the investment. I then have to pay the loan back to the estate? My brother would get half the amount of the loan. Right? Why would my brother get any of the profit from the investment?
Anonymous wrote:This is all very interesting, but can someone explain this to me? So, I borrow money from my mom, and invest it. A year later, she dies. I never paid her back her money. Two years later I receive the return on the investment. I then have to pay the loan back to the estate? My brother would get half the amount of the loan. Right? Why would my brother get any of the profit from the investment?
Anonymous wrote:This is all very interesting, but can someone explain this to me? So, I borrow money from my mom, and invest it. A year later, she dies. I never paid her back her money. Two years later I receive the return on the investment. I then have to pay the loan back to the estate? My brother would get half the amount of the loan. Right? Why would my brother get any of the profit from the investment?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My father is 78 and his brother is 79, almost 80.
It is impossible to stay out of it because my father tells everyone that the money is for his children. He writes pages long emails to the entire family about how he hopes we will use the money.
For context, each of my siblings would receive about $3,000 before taxes. It isn’t a fortune. Maybe we could go on a nice cruise? However, we would lose out on our uncle and cousins at holidays, weddings, and other special events like religious milestones. Everyone would know the reason for the rift. I feel ashamed even thinking about it. I was not raised to think money was more important than family.
Your entire family would shun you and your siblings if your uncle has to pay the money he legally owes your dad?
Your. Father. Is. Not. The. Problem. Here!!!
NP here and it's not entirely clear to me that the uncle legally owes the money to the dad. OP's father should have made his claim at the time the estate was distributed but now the estate has been settled (although it is unclear how many years have passed since the estate was settled so it may still be within the statute of limitations to file a claim for the funds) OP's dad may not have a further right to dispute the distribution of the estate. I think would be worth your dad's time to spend $200 on a consult with an attorney that has a background in trusts and estates law.
I completely agree with all of the other posters though that morally your dad is in the right and morally your uncle should pay your dad 50% of the gain on the investment. I also agree that it is insane that the cousins are threatening to estrange themselves from OP and others in the family when their father (?) effectively stole money from the estate.
The father likely didn't do that then because he didn't want to rock the boat. Scoundrel uncle probably pleaded some sob story about how he needed the full amongst of his inheritance money asap. So father rolled over then, and cheating uncle hopes he rolls over again now. But it's the last straw this time. I bet the uncle has a business and personal reputation of cheating people left and right for decades.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My father is 78 and his brother is 79, almost 80.
It is impossible to stay out of it because my father tells everyone that the money is for his children. He writes pages long emails to the entire family about how he hopes we will use the money.
For context, each of my siblings would receive about $3,000 before taxes. It isn’t a fortune. Maybe we could go on a nice cruise? However, we would lose out on our uncle and cousins at holidays, weddings, and other special events like religious milestones. Everyone would know the reason for the rift. I feel ashamed even thinking about it. I was not raised to think money was more important than family.
Your entire family would shun you and your siblings if your uncle has to pay the money he legally owes your dad?
Your. Father. Is. Not. The. Problem. Here!!!
NP here and it's not entirely clear to me that the uncle legally owes the money to the dad. OP's father should have made his claim at the time the estate was distributed but now the estate has been settled (although it is unclear how many years have passed since the estate was settled so it may still be within the statute of limitations to file a claim for the funds) OP's dad may not have a further right to dispute the distribution of the estate. I think would be worth your dad's time to spend $200 on a consult with an attorney that has a background in trusts and estates law.
I completely agree with all of the other posters though that morally your dad is in the right and morally your uncle should pay your dad 50% of the gain on the investment. I also agree that it is insane that the cousins are threatening to estrange themselves from OP and others in the family when their father (?) effectively stole money from the estate.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What does "wrote I think off' so to speak" mean? Not obvious your dad doesn't have a claim.
I'd just keep my head down and be nice to everyone.
When my grandmother died, my father and brother had a small quarrel over the loan. It looked like a bad investment and my father wanted my uncle to deduct the entire value from my uncle’s half. My uncle was not willing to do that. Eventually, my father made a big deal of saying the loan amount didn’t matter. I know he has brought this up at least a few times as if rubbing in to my uncle that he was the bigger man and could spare the money. Only now that the payoff is coming, he has reopened it.
Your uncle invested with half his and half your father's money, against your father's wishes. Your father is entitled to the returns, and the fact that your cousins will be upset with you if your father gets what he's legally entitled to is nuts. Your uncle should be able to steal from your father's share of the inheritance to make investments your father wants no part of, and then keep all the proceeds for himself? How does that make sense? How is your whole family on the side of the guy who stole from his brother? Just because this gamble paid off?
No. My uncle invested my grandmother’s money before she died. It was meant to be a short term injection of capital that would be paid back. My father did not know about the loan until after my grandmother died.
OP, do you realize this makes your uncle much worse? He took money from a dying old woman in secret. Your uncle sounds like a real manipulative jerk and your cousins seem to the same thing. I'm sure your dad isn't perfect but in this case he is absolutely in the right.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Huh? Why don’t you just let him give you the money and then do whatever you want with it... why not just donate it?
My cousins would look at me badly if I accepted the money.
You cousins sound just as F'd up as your uncle, their father.
True colors come out at inheritance time. Split the money even steven and move on. Everything will be back to normal in 12 months time. Nothing will be back to normal if your uncle and cousins keep your share of inheritance. They have proven themselves selfish and untrustworthy, and now they are bullying you and pretending to be victims! wow. wake up OP, wake up.
I'm curious as well as to how the cousins could possibly have a problem with the money being split. Not that it would or should matter what they think, of course. But it's not like OP's dad is demanding ALL of the money for a penalty (I presume), but just his share.
Have the cousins actually said that they'd be unhappy about it? I can't imagine what possible way someone could justify that. It seems that even illogical and delusional OP acknowledges that her father would win the case in court AKA he's the rightful owner of the money, and can distribute it as he chooses.
I'm wondering if a PP was right about there being some other reason for OP siding against her father no matter how outrageous the position. It sure does seem that way.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would rather have my cousins and my uncle than the money. My siblings feel the same. The money is not a life changing amount when divided between six of us. I told my father that I don’t need it or want it under these circumstances. If my father secretly needs it for himself, he should let us know. It’s wrong for him to pretend that he is fighting for us.
This was the position I took with my sister on a similar issue. It didn't work. She still feels entitled and I still feel shorted and our children, who know about the discrepancy, also resent it. It's better to work it out fairly if possible, even if you don't really need the money.
I don’t want to be cold, but my father is angry with his brother and will die in maybe five years at the most having damaged how the family sees him. My uncle will also die soon, but my cousins will live forty or fifty more years. That’s a very long time for my siblings and I to be estranged from family. It will impact our children as well. I can’t accept this money and I cringe to think that our father will brag about how he dragged his brother through court for us.