OP (Original Poster) recently lost his wife and is now left to deal with his money-hungry and greedy parents-in-law and brother-in-law!
Saying Goodbye to the Love of Your Life
Death is hard, but it’s especially so if you lose the love of your life. This is what happened to OP when he lost his wife unexpectedly.
She left him $200,000 in life insurance, and OP mentioned that he already used $20,000 to cover funeral expenses.
In-Laws’ Demands
After the funeral, OP’s wife’s family demanded that he give them a large portion of the life insurance money.
Greedy Parents-In-Law
OP mentioned that his parents-in-law wanted to use the money to rebuild their destroyed home in Florida. It turns out that their house has been damaged because of a hurricane.
It’s Unfair to Me!
However, OP thinks it’s unfair for him to be the one to struggle because his parents-in-law failed to get their home insured. He especially thinks it’s not right for him to cover the expenses with the money that his wife left specifically for him.
Brother-In-Law’s Need
OP also shared that his brother-in-law reached out to gain access to the money, too. He said he needed it for his college tuition.
OP empathizes with him but believes it’s not his responsibility to pay for his education.
It Was Left for Me
Time and time again, OP refused their requests because he believed that his wife left the money for him—not her other family members. He thought it was up to him to decide where to use the money.
Going Against Her Wishes?
When OP confronted his wife’s family to tell them that he was not giving them a cent from his wife’s life insurance, they told him he was “being selfish and not caring about their situation.”
They also said that his late wife would have wanted them to have the money and that he would have been going against her wishes if he did not hand it over to them.
Financial Responsibilities
Though he felt terrible for his in-laws, OP stood his ground because of his financial responsibilities. He said that he had bills to pay and wanted to make sure he could take care of himself in the future.
He continued and said that he didn’t want to put himself in a bind later on, should he give up the money his wife left him.
What OP Sees
OP considers this as an opportunity to be able to pay off his debts. He also plans to buy his and his late wife’s dream home.
He said he might be selfish, but he certainly doesn’t believe he’s wrong in this scenario.
Marital Discussions
He mentioned that he and his wife never discussed where her life insurance would go if she died. They did, however, joke about buying their dream home or even a starter home.
Redditors’ Two Cents
The community sends their condolences to OP and tries to help him understand that he’s not doing the wrong thing, given his situation.
A top comment goes, “Death and money can bring out the worst in people. I’m sorry for your loss.”
She Chose You!
People also backed him up and said his late wife decided to leave the $200,000 to him—not her parents or brother.
One shared, “She left you with the money, not them. If she wanted them to have some of it, she should’ve put it in a will or agreement of some sort to divide the money amongst her chosen parties.”
They Are Vultures
A Redditor also wants to give OP’s late wife’s family a piece of his mind.
In a comment, he said, “It’s absolutely disgusting to me that her family and yours are acting like nothing better than vultures in the wake of your loss when they should be supporting you. Utterly reprehensible and selfish.”
What Is Life Insurance?
To get a more technical understanding of things, one Redditor explained what life insurance is really about.
She explained, “Life insurance is to cover funeral costs and supplement the sudden loss of income of a spouse or financial supporter. Meaning quite literally, the $200,000—minus tax and funeral costs—is to help you adjust to the loss of income from your wife.”
Any Insights?
What could OP have done better? What would you say to his in-laws?
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This post first appeared as He Refused to Give His Wife’s Family Any of the $200,000 His Wife Left After She Died, so Now They Tell Him He’s Being Selfish! on Quote Ambition.
