A government or PSU job in India is often considered one of the safest and most stable career paths. Add a retirement corpus of nearly Rs 1 crore, and many would call it a dream ending to a long career. But for one family, that money has become a source of fear rather than comfort.
A Reddit user recently shared the emotional story of his father, who is set to retire next year after spending 35 years at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). According to the post, the father will receive close to Rs 1 crore after retirement. However, the son said the family is deeply worried about how the money will be managed.
“My dad retires in Feb next year after spending 35 years in the same PSU job at SAIL. He’ll receive close to Rs 1 crore after retirement,” the Redditor wrote.
The son explained that although the amount sounds large, his father has struggled with financial decisions throughout his life. “Built our house, took care of the family, did everything for us. But money management has never been his strong point. He's outrageously bad with it. When I casually spoke about the retirement plan he cried and asked if I could help,” the post said.
According to the Redditor, his father lost nearly Rs 45–50 lakh over the years through scams, emotional lending, Ponzi schemes, fake job promises, and failed investments. The son claimed that relatives, friends, agents, and others repeatedly took advantage of his father’s trusting nature.
In one case, the father reportedly took a loan himself to help pay for a friend’s son’s college admission. In another, someone allegedly used his name in a car loan scam. The family also lost money in schemes similar to Sahara and other fraudulent investments.
Despite decades of hard work, the family is still repaying a home loan. The Redditor said his mother, who works as a government school teacher, has largely managed household expenses while much of his father’s salary went into clearing debts and repayments.
The emotional moment that stood out for many online was when the son revealed that his father broke down while discussing retirement finances and asked for help managing the money. The son described the retirement corpus as a “one-shot chance” because there would be no opportunity to rebuild financially if the money was lost again.
The family does have 10–15 acres of agricultural land and access to PSU medical facilities after retirement. However, apart from the retirement amount, there are reportedly no major savings or investments.
The son said he was not looking for risky investment advice or flashy ideas. Instead, he wanted practical suggestions on how to keep the retirement money safe, generate stable monthly income for his parents, and prevent the funds from slowly disappearing through emotional lending or scams.
The post also triggered debate online, with some users criticising the family’s past financial decisions. Responding to the reactions, the Redditor later wrote: “Not everything is black or white,” urging people to show empathy instead of mocking a family trying to recover from years of financial mistakes and misplaced trust.
