- Joined
- May 30, 2013
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My dad grew up quite wealthy in the UK between the wars -- family manufacturing business with branches across the country and agencies in Shanghai and Buenos Aires. His Dad ran the silver flatware business in Sheffield until one day, he just didn't anymore. I've never found out what happened, but assume there were fingers in the till? They were abruptly cut off and disinherited. Moved out of the big house into a small house, moved from the fancy private school to the state school. I think that sudden fall from grace was formative for him (or perhaps it was just the Scottish ancestry) because he was scrupulous with money his whole life. Not tight, just attentive. Anyway, long story short, he's still alive at 99 and I never asked him for a dime after graduating high school nor has he ever had to ask me for a dime up to this point, so I think that worked out for both of us. For the obligatory bit about the power of compound interest, he inherited I think maybe 15,000 Sterling in the early '70s and invested it and never touched it and this should easily pay for two American college educations going forward, assuming one of them actually doesn't make it as a pro video gamer before then, as currently planned. FML.