Real Answers for Life’s Money Challenges
My husband and I are older and got married six years ago.
He has three adult children (ages 27 to 39), whom he still takes care of financially.
How can I approach this subject without sounding like the evil stepmother?
Should I just keep my mouth shut?
Concerned Stepmother
Dear Concerned,
Its rarely helpful to keep your mouth shut aboutmoney in a relationship.
But you have to approach the conversation open to understanding and compromise in addition to airing your grievances.
One thing that jumps out to me in your question is the should.
Whenever I hear this word around money,I askwhy.
I recommend you ask yourself:Whyshould those resources be going toward your retirement?
Your answer depends on a lot of information not included here.
Are you depending on your husbands resources to fund your retirement as well as his?
Was this your shared expectation when you got married?
What would be happening with the house (and its associated expenses) if the children werent living there?
Did you and your husband at one time agree on plans for supporting the children?
Has the situation changed since you got together?
Or irritated at suddenly having kids in your life.
Or concerned about their ability to be self-sufficient.
Whatever the issues are, define them clearly, and consider solutions youd like to broach with your husband.
Having some direction going into the conversation can help you figure out the best way to present your concerns.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
Balance Transfer = Credit Card Cheat Code
