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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for help with financial pickle

880 replies

ShoebillStork · 19/06/2021 18:11

In 2009 FIL had a win on the Premium Bonds. He gave us £10,000 to invest for DS (at low risk) and the money to be given to DS when he's 18.

I put the money towards a loft conversion. DS is 18 soon and I'm due to remortgage for a better rate. How much do I need to release for him so he gets the £10k plus what it might have gained in interest since 2009.

And should I encourage DS to get a Help to Buy ISA with it?

OP posts:
championthewonderhorse70 · 20/06/2021 19:23

Interest rates have been shite for years.

If you can I'd probably give 15k. However he won't have earned nearly that so 13k would be more than reasonable.

ShoebillStork · 20/06/2021 19:26

How do you feel about German students in you loft at the weekend OP? 🤣

Grin No offence to the citizens of Germany but I might up my offer to £20k Grin

DS is putting together a "business plan". Oh God, I should've bunged it in an Isa!

OP posts:
Harmonypuss · 20/06/2021 19:27

Re not knowing what interest rate to put in, why not use the average loan interest rate? About 4.5% according to Google

If you use this calculation as suggested by @VettiyaIruken, based on 12 years compound interest, it adds up to £16,958.85, call it a minimum of £17,000, its the least you own your son for 'illegally' using HIS MONEY WITHOUT PERMISSION!

BurrosTail · 20/06/2021 19:29

Letting money to sit in an account isn’t an investment, so when people talk about the interest accrued, it really doesn’t amount to much, the purchase power remains about the same. For example index tracking funds or bonds are low risk and perhaps that’s what you were expected to do with the money.

niugboo · 20/06/2021 19:33

You owe him approximately £30K.

Thehop · 20/06/2021 19:35

The problem is, £10k in premium bonds......he could have won big! So I think should get his share of the increase in value accrued from the 10k investment you decided to make for him, otherwise you’re earning unfairly from his money.

Using it to invest in the house is a good decision, but don’t con him out of what his investment is worth now! Skyrocketing value means his 10k has skyrocketed and may take the sting out of never knowing how much he could have won in premium bonds.

Wheretobuy · 20/06/2021 19:35

I have read all your posts OP and I think you have done a bit of drip feed and you knew from the start that your FIL will disapprove of your plan.
I do not think your son should get anything under the value of the loft that his money was used to make. You are being disingenuous and dishonest if you do anything but that. Your son is going to think like this too at some point because he is bound to figure it out on his own.
I suggest you sit with your family and talk about it honestly.

niugboo · 20/06/2021 19:35

@ShoebillStork

Why does he not deserve it?

Because I've paid the fucking mortgage whilst he's sat on his arse playing X box in his very cool loft conversion with his own bathroom! DS didn't "invest" anything - he was 6/7 years old!

And the £10k didn't cover the whole cost of the conversion - like I said, it went towards it.

And I won't benefit from the increase in value until I sell it - which I'm not planning on doing!

Are you joking? It’s YOUR house. Of course you paid the mortgage. That’s not his job. Your FIL made a huge mistake letting you get your hand on this money.
TSSDNCOP · 20/06/2021 19:41

If anyone needs 10k to put into a loft conversion that will yield me 20k in 12 years I'd seriously consider it Grin

HollyGoLoudly1 · 20/06/2021 19:41

An 18 year old is going to be handed £15k AND has benefitted from having his own bedroom and bathroom for the last few years rather than having to share a bedroom through his teenage years. AND he's going to inherit the entire house eventually.

It's win-win-win for him imo. OP I would have done the exact same in your shoes. Makes total sense to put it towards the house, knowing you would be able to release the money when the time came. You 100% do not 'owe' him a share of the increase in house value - it's honestly made me laugh 😂

sunglassesonthetable · 20/06/2021 19:43

Your FIL made a huge mistake letting you get your hand on this money.

Are you bonkers?

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

This thread is wild!

DS had a cool bedroom straight away.

DS didn't have to share.

( Can we put a price on that please? No didn't think so. )

DS is getting the money with the interest that is appropriate to FIL's instructions at the appropriate age as requested.

DS 's future inheritance is certainly bigger than it would of been.

OP's plan worked out. Well done OP. She set out to make it work for her son and got it right.

HollyGoLoudly1 · 20/06/2021 19:43

Are YOU joking? OP was able to provide her son with his own bedroom and bathroom, AND still be able to provide the £10k plus interest as intended by the FIL. Everybody wins!

ShoebillStork · 20/06/2021 19:46

@CellyBee

I would round it up to 15k but it's a real shame you have to borrow and haven't saved up this money over the years Confused
No. Much more tax efficient as a higher rate tax payer to put money in my pension. Also meant I could continue to claim Child Benefit.
OP posts:
Babysharkdododododododododod · 20/06/2021 19:49

I literally have no advice, but I came here to say that this thread has had me in stitches!

You asked for advice on what sort of interest to add, and you end up with a catalogue of parenting advice from people who clearly think they are better than anyone else 😂😂

threatmatrix · 20/06/2021 19:50

So really you stole money from your son.

Bard6817 · 20/06/2021 19:52

If you take at face value, that a residential home is an investment, and no harm was meant, the amount owed to your son is as follows.

10k as a proportion of the house valuation after the conversion was completed, applied to the house valuation on the property on the date of 18th birthday.

The so called investment, isn’t into part of a property, it’s into the property as a whole. When i put 10k into a stock, i’m not putting it into warehouse, i’m putting it into a business. What it gets used for is immaterial.

so as an example, house was worth 100k inject 10k thus its 10% the amount bought, thus if said investment is 300k on 18th birthday, amount due is 30k. (10% of 300k)

Irrespective of worth, the age, the behaviour of the investor, they bought a percentage in your speculative asset. Give them anything less, it is straight theft.

From a family inheritance tax perspective, you’ve also created an anomaly which needs to be fully documented too, otherwise potentionly DS will have to pay tax on the proceeds. Finally, because you didn’t use a tax wrapper, he probably should pay capital gains tax on the investment.

Families and money, can be incredibly naive sometimes outright intentionally vr uel, if i knew you personally, id be reporting you to the police for theft and hmrc for evasion.

I handle the investments for my godson, prudent investing in the likes of fundsmith, in the appropriate tax wrapper, he will be worth about £60k tax free next year when he turns 18…. The amount invested was £6k.

Your lack of financial knowledge should have meant you sought an advisor, or gained far more clarity from FIL.

Bard6817 · 20/06/2021 19:53

@Babysharkdododododododododod People don’t like fraud or theft.

HollyGoLoudly1 · 20/06/2021 19:53

@threatmatrix

So really you stole money from your son.
In what way?
Bard6817 · 20/06/2021 19:53

@threatmatrix Her words & responses suggest a criminal offence is taking place.

sunglassesonthetable · 20/06/2021 19:54

It’s quite sickening how many people think profiting from your child is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Yep, I'm sure OP set out to "profit from her child". 🙄

Nope Course I don't! But reading this thread I wonder about some posters.

OP made the most of the money she had available with her DS in mind. She actually maxed it out for him across the 10 years of his life. He got to eat the marshmallow straight away ( his own attic bedroom and bathroom ) and have the benefit at 18 ( lump sum plus decent interest )

FIL said low risk and this was low risk.

HollyGoLoudly1 · 20/06/2021 19:56

if i knew you personally, id be reporting you to the police for theft and hmrc for evasion

Amazing 😂 I'm off to get popcorn for the rest of this thread 🍿

sunglassesonthetable · 20/06/2021 19:57

Families and money, can be incredibly naive sometimes outright intentionally vr uel, if i knew you personally, id be reporting you to the police for theft and hmrc for evasion.

Yeah whatevs. 🤣

sunglassesonthetable · 20/06/2021 19:59

threatmatrix Her words & responses suggest a criminal offence is taking place.

😂 quick!

Rosegoldfan · 20/06/2021 19:59

Op do have you got funds in the cayman islands also?

Bard6817 · 20/06/2021 19:59

@HollyGoLoudly1 Walk into a shop, take an item, walk out. When the police arrive tell them you intended to pay.

No documentation or discussion from the FIL to be able to use the money in the OP’s personal speculative investment. Conflict of interest, undeclared.

Amount invested without any documentation or agreement in place. It was done in secret.

Finally it’s some notional amount to be repaid to son, that doesn’t reflect the increase in value of the speculative investment.

I’ve seen people get time for the above. The OP is lucky the lad is agreeable, that it’s all been kept secret. Laughably, they still see no wrong in their actions.