A man from San Jose, California, recently told the hosts of “The Ramsey Show” that his father passed away recently and left him an inheritance worth over $10 million. But he didn’t leave a cent to the caller's sisters.
His Sisters Want Him To Help With $300,000 In Student Loan Debt
“[My father] left everything to me,” said Michael, the caller. “His house, his investments, his business.” He explained that his sisters were estranged from their father and sided with their mother after the parents divorced. As a result, his father chose to cut them out entirely.
Michael said the split happened when he was 17 and his sisters were 15 and 13. Their mother had an affair, and while Michael stayed loyal to his father, his sisters stuck with their mother and her new partner. “The affair partner was very charismatic. He bought them a lot of stuff,” Michael explained. “This was back when my father’s business wasn’t successful.”
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Now that their father is gone and the estate has been settled, the sisters are asking Michael to pay off their combined student loan debt, which is roughly $300,000. But Michael says their relationship has always been transactional, and they only reach out in moments like this.
Hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw pressed him on whether he wanted to help them out or not. Michael responded, “I don’t want to disrespect my father in any way.”
Warshaw asked the hard questions. Did the dad cut them off because of real wrongdoing or because they simply liked their mom more?
Michael said it was more than just picking sides. His sisters knew about their mom’s affair and said nothing. His father was devastated by the betrayal, turned to alcohol for a while, but eventually built his life and business back, with Michael by his side.
“He showered me with love and attention because I was the only one that he had,” Michael said. “And I don’t want to in any way disrespect his wishes.”
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Kamel said the decision to give money shouldn’t come from guilt. “I’d rather them be resentful towards you than you be resentful towards them,” he said. “There’s no easy answer here. They’re going to hate you. But it sounds like they didn’t like you to begin with.”
Warshaw, while acknowledging that she wasn’t there, expressed concern that the father’s decision might have stemmed from pain, not justice. “To punish the children for a spousal misbehavior because the children didn't react the way [he wanted]… I do struggle with that,” she said.
Ultimately, Michael admitted he isn't ready to forgive them. “I want the old grudges to die. At the same time, I want to respect my father’s wishes,” he said. “But I am not ready to forgive them for the pain that they caused my father.”
“That’s it. You just said it out loud,” Kamel told him. “If you’re not ready to forgive, don’t forgive yet. But I think you should eventually,” Warshaw added.
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