Dear Quentin, My fiancé and I met at age 42 after being recently divorced. We have (now-grown) children from our previous marriages, but none together. We keep our finances separate. Neither one of us...
Tag: Marriage/Divorce
‘I have $30,000 in my savings account’: I’m 56, unemployed and single. I invented products that will cost $20,000 to bring to market. Should I do it?
Dear Quentin, I am a 56-year-old divorced woman who has raised four children as a single parent. I made the decision at a young age to give birth to all of my children, and I was the sole provider for...
‘When we dated for 5 years, he implied he was financially secure’: My husband was always hesitant about his finances. Now I know why.
Dear Quentin, My husband and I make about the same salary, and live modestly. Six months after we married, I found out my husband’s net worth is virtually zero. He owes more money than he has assets (...
‘I would not have been able to do it without him’: I built a property portfolio with 23 units while we were dating. How much should I give to my fiancé in our prenup?
I’m about to marry a wonderful man. I built an investment portfolio of 23 units while we were dating. Now we’re questioning how to create a prenuptial agreement. Over the years, I have identified, pur...
‘I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband’: I pay all the bills and gave the down payment for our home, and all he does is buy stuff and contribute to his 401(k)
I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband. I have been married for almost 10 years. When my husband and I were first married, he convinced me to stop working after the first year or so, which I r...
‘I have great plans for myself’: My girlfriend doesn’t understand how her student loan works and rents a pricey apartment. What if we marry — and divorce?
My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for seven months, and it is getting more serious. I don’t expect us to get married in the next year but I like to plan ahead and if things keep working ...
5 smart money moves for your first 5 years of retirement
When you dream of retirement, you figure you’ll finally enjoy worry-free living. But the first few years can prove surprisingly tense. A big cash outlay or costly divorce can upend your best-laid plan...
‘I’m spending a fortune on home maintenance. I realize my second husband is essentially living in my house for free’: What is a fair way to split costs?
I am a retired 62-year-old woman. I was widowed in 2006 at the age of 46 and raised my two children (now 24 and 27) on my own. I used my husband’s life insurance money (about $500,000) to maintain our...
‘We do not want him to receive anything from our estate’: How do we ensure our son-in-law does not get his hands on our money?
Dear Quentin, My wife and I are in our 70’s and have one daughter as the sole beneficiary to our estate. We live in Ohio. She is separated from her husband, and it doesn’t appear that they will be get...
‘No one is above the law’: Oil tycoon tried to stiff his ex-wife in a bitter divorce — now he’s going to prison for tax evasion
Todd Kozel made his riches in the oil fields of Kurdistan and now will have to pay the price. The once-jet-setting co-founder and chief executive of Gulf Keystone Petroleum is headed to prison for fiv...
I’m 68, my husband is terminally ill, and his $3 million estate will go to his son. I want to spend the rest of my days traveling – will I have enough money?
Please help me. I am a 68-year-old woman married 17 years to the love of my life. Our finances have always been separate, and I signed a prenuptial acknowledging that his son will inherit his estate h...
My fiancé and I are 60. His adult daughter is opposed to our marriage — and insists on inheriting her father’s $3.2 million estate. How should we handle her?
What advice would you give to a widow and widower considering marriage on how to manage finances — and deal with adult children? We are both 60 years old and plan to work a few more years, mostly for ...