Logan

Caller: “ I have a net worth of about $3 million and my Dad has asked for $55,000 to pay his debt. What should i do?” Caller: My 80 year old father is asking my husband and me for $55,000 to pay off his credit card and car loan debt. Dave: What’s your financial situation? Carla: We’re retired, debt free, net worth between $2 and $3 million but we’re on a fixed income and would have to dip into retirement accounts to do it. Dave: And your husband’s position? Carla: He’s firmly against it. But my dad is very persuasive and I feel guilty saying no. Dave: Carla, the answer is no. You have no moral, ethical, or biblical obligation to fund your father’s bad financial habits especially when manipulation is part of how he’s asking. Carla: But he’s 80 and he’s my dad. Dave: Being your dad doesn’t give him the right to your retirement. And “no” is a complete sentence. Don’t give him an encyclopedia of reasons, he’ll debate every one. Be brief, be gentle, and be firm. Carla: What can I offer instead? Dave: Gift him Financial Peace University. Give him the tools to help himself. That’s generous without enabling the pattern.