u/Eg9tobe83

After months of uncertainty around a trust from a person who was as close as family, I received a wire yesterday for just under $400k.

Both my wife and myself are public sector facing employees in our 40s with two young kids. Our student loans are gone as we qualified for PSLF and got that discharged a little bit ago. Both our kiddos were brought into this world through IVF and this same person helped with a $20k check for our first.

We’ve been juggling childcare, a mortgage, some credit card debt, medical issues, car payments, and trying to build some sense of stability.

Seeing a number like that appearing in my bank account just has this surreal, eerie feeling.

What’s strange is that nothing is changing overnight. My day-to-day will still continue per usual. I still have work meetings. My toddler still needs breakfast. My wife still went to work. But internally, it feels like some pressure valve I’ve carried for years suddenly have been opened.

My first moves aren’t flashy:
- paying off credit card debt that has slowly crept up
- planning to repay my dad for helping with our car down payment
- keeping most of the money parked in a money market account for now
- trying very hard not to make emotional decisions

At the same time, I’m also realizing inheritances come with weird emotions:
gratitude, grief, guilt, relief, disbelief.

Part of me still feels like the same guy stressing over Costco gas prices last week. Curious about what the future holds and how this changes our trajectory.

For those who’ve experienced a windfall or inheritance:

How long did it take before it actually felt real?
What is one thing you’re glad you did (or avoided) in the first few months?

After months of uncertainty around a trust from a person who was as close as family, I received a wire yesterday for just under $400k.

Both my wife and myself are public sector facing employees in our 40s with two young kids. Our student loans are gone as we qualified for PSLF and got that discharged a little bit ago. Both our kiddos were brought into this world through IVF and this same person helped with a $20k check for our first.

We’ve been juggling childcare, a mortgage, some credit card debt, medical issues, car payments, and trying to build some sense of stability.

Seeing a number like that appearing in my bank account just has this surreal, eerie feeling.

What’s strange is that nothing is changing overnight. My day-to-day will still continue per usual. I still have work meetings. My toddler still needs breakfast. My wife still went to work. But internally, it feels like some pressure valve I’ve carried for years suddenly have been opened.

My first moves aren’t flashy:
- paying off credit card debt that has slowly crept up
- planning to repay my dad for helping with our car down payment
- keeping most of the money parked in a money market account for now
- trying very hard not to make emotional decisions

At the same time, I’m also realizing inheritances come with weird emotions:
gratitude, grief, guilt, relief, disbelief.

Part of me still feels like the same guy stressing over Costco gas prices last week. Curious about what the future holds and how this changes our trajectory.