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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Unequal finances

23 replies

Libby18 · 23/07/2018 00:20

I've posted on here before and feel very supported by the messages I've received. It's good to have a site where you can be honest and not feel criticised. Anyway - ongoing situation with DP, very controlling and domineering, verging on the emotionally abusive, with anger issues and bullying tendencies - have been trying to deal with this for 18 or so years but as I get older (am no spring chicken) feel more and more enmeshed. He recently received a large sum of money from the sale of the parental home (he gave up work some 30 years ago due to a traumatic divorce and looked after his parents, hence the payout) but chooses to live part-time with me in my very tiny house, (two up two down), and part of the time with his father who has gone to live abroad. He spends the day on his computer or watching TV or reading and maybe walking along the beach (there) or shopping (here - but only for bargains), with no responsibilities and not a care in the world. I on the other hand am living on a low income and watching my retirement plans disappear as my 94-year old mother eats into her savings (my inheritance) to pay for her care, and see myself having to carry on working forever in order to keep going. To his credit when he is around he does give me money, and pays for a lot for my mum too and looks after her needs, and is definitely a financial cushion, however it's all a bit ad hoc with no real agreement and what's more concerning, no real plan for the future. When I try to raise the subject it leads to a row, he says I could just enjoy the current situation if I was more accommodating and less angry. However I feel almost insanely jealous now at the disparity in our financial situation and lifestyles, and also guilty for feeling like that. He also says that I should have thought about my finances many years ago, when he first told me to get a job that had a proper pension (I have always been self-employed, which I enjoyed) or paid much better. I really don't know if I should be putting my foot down and demanding that we make plans to safeguard my future, or whether to indeed accept that if I don't make a fuss and go along with things then it may well work out. But he changes all the time, one day saying that 'we' will be ok financially and the next implying he will not be supporting me (he once said that if we married and divorced he would be scared I would fleece him of all his money) and it's crazy-making. He has given me quite a bit of money in the past (paying for two cars one of which I wrecked and some expensive dental treatment and work on my house) and I think that if push comes to shove he will demand that all back. I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face but I am desperate to know what to do and if I have a right to be angry or am just being unreasonable and growing bitter because of my own insecurity and anxiety. When I think of moving on it seems impossible - I don't know how I would begin to confront him or even if I could survive without him.

OP posts:
Hont1986 · 23/07/2018 10:01

I'm not sure what you would 'confront' him about.

What do you want him to do? Gift you a large sum so you can kickstart your retirement savings?

Gotthetshirt23 · 23/07/2018 10:37

Your poor mothers money is hers .
Sad that all you can do is see inheritance Sad

SandyY2K · 23/07/2018 10:45

He's your partner, not your husband, so I don't think you have any right to demand more financial assistance from him.

I really don't know if I should be putting my foot down and demanding that we make plans to safeguard my future

Safeguard your own future.

Your not his responsibility and vice versa.

however it's all a bit ad hoc with no real agreement

He's not obligated to support you financially. If he wanted to be I'm sure he'd have married you.

He's had a bad experience with marriage and divorce, so I think he's deliberately got a set up that suits him.

Are you in his will?
Are you his NOK?

Regarding your mum...she is using her money to look after herself.

SandyY2K · 23/07/2018 10:49

He also says that I should have thought about my finances many years ago, when he first told me to get a job that had a proper pension (I have always been self-employed, which I enjoyed) or paid much better.

That was good advice. What plans did you have for the future?

Self employed people do take put private pensions ad well. Did you do this? Or seek financial advice regarding your future?

Libby18 · 23/07/2018 10:55

Just to make clear, I don't begrudge my mother a thing. In fact I have actively encouraged her to go to a day centre and engaged carers for her, which she herself said she didn't want to spend any money on. That's not the point. The point was (and sorry if it didn't come out right - was writing when very distressed) that the situation is such that I will have very little to retire on while my DP is well off - which makes the situation uneven. But I absolutely and unequivocally wish my mother to enjoy her life and am making all efforts to support that.

OP posts:
Libby18 · 23/07/2018 11:00

Regarding bad marriage and divorce, he ran away from his wife and left her and his son abroad with absolutely nothing then hid from the authorities so as to have no fixed address and job so his wife could not go after him. I felt sorry for him about the situation but now not so sure if it bodes well for my future with him.

OP posts:
Vampyress · 23/07/2018 11:01

My husband and I always had the agreement that all financial obligations would be shared equally, he would take on all financial obligations whilst I was on maternity leave and any windfalls would be used for the family. The only exception we both agreed whole heartedly with was that in the event of an inheritance however large or small that it would not be shared. We both feel that if someone wishes to use their money to safeguard one of our futures that we should be safe in the knowledge that the other partner would respect and agree with that.

I do empathise with how you feel OP, when I finished university my husband earned a great deal more than me and I was envious of his ability to buy himself things that I could never afford, however that drove me to self invest and over the last 6 years I am now close to earning as much as he does and have a great deal more disposable income (or did until childcare costs came into the equation but that hit us both!). That said I never resented the situation nor did I consider my financial well being as being my partners problem unless illness or childbearing was in the equation. I agree with other posters that you need to safeguard your own future and while his comments about how you should have worked on your pension may sound harsh, he isn't entirely wrong either.

Libby18 · 23/07/2018 11:07

Afraid some of us are not so good at financial planning for the future. I know many others in that situation. I have enough guilt trips from him about that. At least I have worked hard and have my own fully paid-up house.

OP posts:
Jojoevans · 23/07/2018 11:14

It Is your responsibility to plan for your own future or if you were married then you plan together but if not there is no need for him to plan for your future unless he wishes to.
Life’s not easy for anyone and if your working now why not start a Pension ?
Your house could be that if it’s yours
Loads of things you have still got time to do now if you don’t think you have enough saved Good luck

m0vinf0rward · 23/07/2018 11:20

Sorry but he owes you nothing. You're an adult, try acting like one and take responsibility for your own retirement, not expecting someone else to bail you out. I think he's doing exactly the right thing. Why should he put his financial future at risk when he's not married to you? Maybe you should have been a little bit more concerned about your future when you were younger..it really annoys me when people don't plan for the future yet expect others to fund them later in life. I hope you do try and put your foot down...just watch how fast he leaves.

chajazam · 23/07/2018 11:20

Your partner doesn’t sound like he wants responsibility for your future and I’m not sure he has an obligation to you given his warning that you had no provision for the future.

I’ve known so many people make bad financial decisions against good advice and then moan about it later I’ve lost sympathy. It’s almost as if the future isn’t a tangible concept to some and then most of the time they expect the other people in their lives to pick up the pieces. I’ve had to do it and I’m very resentful since the situation was entirely avoidable if they had used some common sense.

You own your own home so that’s a good starting point, you are unmarried and you get the reality of your situation so seek some proper financial advice about what you can do now to improve your prospects. You may find your partner is more willing to help if he sees you taking responsibility for yourself.

pleasegotowork · 23/07/2018 11:27

I don't understand why you think he owes you something. You're not married to him.If you'd taken time away from work to rear the children you'd had with him, then that would be a different story but that's not the case? You're just living with the choices you've made as far as I can see. He owes you nothing. He doesn't sound like a nice person if he ran off and hid from the mother of his child to avoid paying maintenance but you don't seem to have had a problem with him doing this.

m0vinf0rward · 23/07/2018 11:33

Also quite telling from the tone of your OP that you see him as a human wallet. No mention of how much you love him, what he means to you...just you don't know if you could cope without the financial backup he provides. You sound very mercenary.

FinallyHere · 23/07/2018 11:34

I'm sorry you are facing such an uncertain future, but i really don't think that he is going to save you. Anyone who would run away, make themselves homeless in order to avoid providing for a child is not, in my opinion, a very safe bet to have anyone but his own interests at heart.

In your position, I might consider just facing up to the uncertain future and avoid giving him the power to disappoint. Sorry.

SandyY2K · 23/07/2018 11:37

he ran away from his wife and left her and his son abroad with absolutely nothing then hid from the authorities so as to have no fixed address and job so his wife could not go after him.

So what attracted you to a man who did this? Abandoned his child with nothing and his from them. Terrible behaviour as a parent.

He abandoned his flesh and blood, so I'm not sure why you expect anything from him.

tomhazard · 23/07/2018 11:38

He doesn't really owe you anything unfortunately. You are not married and I don't think you have DC together (from your op). In your shoes I would a) leave the relationship that sounds like it's not a happy one for you b) start planning for your financial future now by saving and/or paying into a pension. It's no one else's fault that you decided not to consider your own future financially

SandyY2K · 23/07/2018 11:38

Typo

HID from them

TheGr3atEscapez · 23/07/2018 13:25

When he lives with you does he pay any money ? You may get more money from a lodger

Cambionome · 23/07/2018 13:54

Sorry you are getting so many knock backs on here, op.

Yes, you should have thought more about your financial future years ago, but many of us are guilty of making that mistake (me included). I don't think he is obliged to support you, but I think his attitude stinks, frankly. He sounds unkind, selfish, lazy and entitled and his behaviour towards his ex wife was appalling.

He obviously can't be trusted and doesn't have your back, so I would think seriously about what you can do from now on to improve your situation without having to rely on him.

I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm late 50s and recently left a very long marriage. It's scary to break away and be on your own, but I'm so glad I did it. I've even managed to get a better paying job recently which I didn't think was going to happen at my age - in fact, I was surprised at how much interest I had from potential employers.

Sit down and think carefully about all your options - as a pp has said, it might be worth your while to get a lodger in his place, it may be possible to get another job, or perhaps you could expand your business?

Stay calm, don't become any more financially dependent on him, and good luck. You can do this! Flowers

magoria · 23/07/2018 14:51

He ran away from his wife and child. He his so they could get nothing. Why the hell do you feel sorry for him?

That is him. Why do you expect to be treated any different/better than how he treated his own child?

He showed you what he was.

You need to protect yourself.

magoria · 23/07/2018 14:52

*he hid

Oldraver · 23/07/2018 15:08

I have no sympathy for someone who see their elderly mother paying for her care as 'eating into your inheritence'.

SandyY2K · 23/07/2018 22:20

The running away abandoning his wife and son is shocking. Didn't any part of the way he behaved concern you or indicate what kind of man he is?

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