Cause For Concern?

Or, Much Ado About Nothing?

You can always tell a brother-in-law.

You just can't tell him very much...

Almost 10 years into the marriage between my sister & her husband, I'm still on the fence about whether I even like the guy.

Oh, I don't think he's a bad person.  He's never given my sister reason to doubt his fidelity, and he absolutely adores his kids.  He doesn't drink hardly at all, never acts the fool in public, and I can't think of one time I've seen him raise his voice in anger.

Still, he's one of the World's Top Experts in any field you care to mention, and that makes any kind of conversation a PITA.  There's also the XBOX habit.  My sister calls herself a "Call of Duty" widow.

And. of course, he's got the money management skills of a U.S. politician.  They've been skirting near the edge of insolvency for most of their marriage.

So, why the concern?

He's quit his job to take a new position in another town, and they're planning a bankruptcy and mailing their house keys back to the bank and walking away on the mortgage.

Of course, they still need somewhere to live, and they've asked my parents for a sizable "loan" to get them settled.

Now, normally, this would be none of my business.

However...

My parents have never really had two nickels to rub together.  Their current nest-egg comes mostly from Dad's share of his mother's estate, and Mom's retirement dividend from her pension. Aside from that, they have Social Security and two small pension funds.

With Dad nearing 80, and Mom not too far behind, I'm quite concerned that they have enough not only to cover their remaining years, but enough to cover any medical issues that might arise.

It's their money, their daughter, and they're gonna do what they feel they ought to do.

Still, I just get the feeling I'll be paying the bill when the waiter leaves the check...