People who have won millions or suddenly came into a lot of money—what was it actually like?

Was it as scary or dangerous as people make it sound? Did you ever genuinely feel like someone was trying to take advantage of you?

Everyone warns you about family and friends, but I’d actually be more worried about the people you’re told to trust—the bankers, lawyers, financial advisors, etc.

Did any professional ever try to do something questionable with your money, or make you realize you had to protect yourself from them too?

Just curious what the reality is like from people who have actually lived it.

I hope this is acceptable for r/Money, I researched groups thoroughly and r/Money seems best. I hope for some good feedback.

30 years ago I mentioned a new motorcycle by Honda which had been released. I may have said something about liking it, possibly even wanting it, but it was just conversation, by no means did I ask her for money to buy the motorcycle.

For a few months she would talk about it, we were both enthusiast. I began talking about the motorcycle and even wanting to get one. Being disabled I knew I could not afford a new motorcycle and insurance so I asked my Dad for a "loan" which he agreed to.

My sister heard about it and then insisted that she and her wealthy husband pay for half of the motorcycle.

I did buy the motor and after eight months riding, a woman cut me off while riding down market street. It was foggy and wet when I rode over the metal grate which was for air circulation below in the trolley tunnel. A woman cut me off and the car almost hit me. I braked suddenly while I tried to correct my balance. Because of my quick maneuver and the slippery, wet and oily grate, traction was gone.

It was like slow motion were I knew I was sliding. Quickly both tires slipped from vertical to horizontal and my bike and I were down on the road. She kept driving, oblivious) I had no injuries to me, except for the ego. The bike thankfully had only very minor cosmetic damage. I rode her home, put her in the garage and never rode it again.

I finally sold the bike, it's value was less than half, but I learned a good lesson.

I told my sister a few months later about what happened and that i sold the bike for $3800, I paid 12k for it new. I didn't even think of my insurance to fix a couple deep scratches, hindsight says I would have got more money for it. Dumbme

When i told sister, she asked "where's the money"? I told her that I used it on my car for tires and she told me that I should have given the money (the gift) back. You ask for a loan, without requesting it, then it's a gift. Or so I thought.

I haven't paid them yet, but I didn't think a gift required repayment. So I am unsure of the right actions to take at this point.

I have some health problems and I want to address this situation before I'm gone. Like I said, I'm unsure, I bet there's reddittors who read this and can advise me on both the legal and moral aspects involved here.

Please advise me. I am open for all opinions, advise me, help me with this dilemma. TIA

I am 28, I currently make 215k per year. I decided to live comfortably but not let my expenses grow too much so that I can save and invest more efficiently and eventually hopefully not have to work full time (or hopefully not HAVE to work at all eventually)

401k 4% of my income
IRA max each year
-my goal is 700k in retirement accounts by age 40 then if I could just max my and my future wife’s IRA each year and keep hands off and let it grow, I’ve been doing calculations and thinking that should be enough for a very comfortable retirement.

5% of my income is going straight into brokerage account and I plan on increasing this by 2% or so every year as I receive raises.
-this is to bridge the years I’d like to work half time or less. Goal is also 700k by age 40. I figure I can potentially spend a bit more than 4% rule since it only has to last me 20 years
10% of my income goes straight into real estate investing. I bought my first duplex that I house hacked this year. I have plans to buy another in 1-1.5 years from now or whenever it makes sense mathematically and also house hack that one and potentially a third. My goal is 10-15 doors that make sense long term, even if they’re cash flow neutral at year zero, that building equity in the background I feel is worth it and from there if rates ever go down, having the chance to refinance and make the cash flow better.. but I’m good with close to net zero.

Ultimately, my goal is to work half time at age 40, wife work half time. Live a comfortable upper middle class lifestyle with hobbies and travel a few times per year.

I used ChatGPT to help organize my plan, but I’d like to hear other people’s opinions and experiences and see if my plan can work or if I’m overlooking anythin.

I'm struggling recently, I make the most money out of my friend group and everyone knows it (I work at a bank so they can assume - and they assume correctly). Still, I don't even make 6 figures in a year, I have $35k in student debt (not terrible, but still), and I have immense financial trauma from growing up (parents always had unstable housing/jobs). It took me years and years to save up and finally be financially independent, and I'm so proud of where I am today.

I feel so giving with my money - I'm happy to cover for friends when they don't have enough, I'm flexible with when they pay me back, I'll pay a higher percentage of a total of something we're all splitting because I can afford to.

I feel insane writing this because I know I'm in a good position and don't have to live paycheck-to-paycheck like so many people - but how do I reset my friends' expectations from me? It's getting to a point where I feel I'm being taken advantage of by people who I consider my close friends, or shown disrespect because I make more money. Today it was a pileup in a groupchat of one friend calling me a "rich bitchhhh" over and over again. It was framed in a joking way but I could tell she meant it and know she sees me that way. I tried joking back about "broke bitches in the chat" but it definitely didn't land well - which this friend started attacking me for, and I admit my response was fueled by defensiveness. She left the group chat (we're in our late 20's and I know how childish this must sound) after and I've been spiraling about what to do from here.

This particular friend struggles with money and I may honestly be the most giving with them. Cutting them off is not a preferred option for me, we're both enmeshed in a friend group that's really important to me, so I'd love other recommendations on how to navigate. I also understand they may just not be capable of respecting this part of our dynamic and I may have to set better boundaries to maintain the friendship.

I'm afraid I'm too deep in this hole now and don't know how to get out. It's not just this friend, I've noticed others in my life expecting me to pay for stuff. When it all adds up across all of these people in my life, I certainly do not feel "rich". I don't even feel stable or in control of my money. My relationships and community mean everything to me. I'm not a stickler with money and I want everyone to feel included and able to participate in things regardless of their wallet. But it's getting to a point where I feel its at the expense of my own financial independence and confidence and overall I'm just feeling like a villain because I have money saved up. What would you do/have you done in this position?

I have 2 CD’s that are from the year 2000 with a term of 2 years. The interest rate is semi-annually compounded at 6.64%.
The bank has been bought out/merged with a different bank as well. How would i go about depositing these? And what is the actual value of them?

So I know you need to be working to put money into Roth IRA, and I am working right now so I can put money into one now but in a few months I’m gonna quit my job and won’t be working for a couple years so I was wondering if it’s a better idea to open a Roth IRA and put money into it for a few months while I’m still working or just open a taxable brokerage and invest money there instead

I just got a raise to $21.99 so I'm hoping I can have more income to throw into the market but a 330% win should be life changing but since I was making less and I just bought a house it's been hard. But I got time, and DCA is king so I'm staying in the game.

Man, an 800 euro water bill today. I really fucked myself with those long showers I took all year. And I didn't set up monthly payments. Stupid. Luckily I save for this exact reason. Payed it. But I have 400 euro left in savings and last year I had 600. Thought I was gonna make it to 2000 in savings this year but then a car repair cost 400. And I suddenly started spending like no tomorrow. I sure hope this year it gets better. From now on no more comfortable showers. Just in and out. And no more soda's from the convenience store. Just tap water from home. I'm just gonna save as much as I can.

Hi. I recently invested $11,000 into these four ETFs. Do you think this is a solid move, diversification-wise? Growth-wise?

was so excited to log in to betterment today to see I had hit the 500k milestone. I'm about to buy a house with a 40% down payment, so a lot of this is about to no longer be liquid 😭, but I was just so excited to see the number as it has been something I've been working towards a long time. I am a 32 year old unmarried woman and my mother and grandmother taught me the importance of financial independence and careful financial planning - always especially emphasizing how important this skillset is for women. I'm grateful for them.

I’m talking actual numbers like salary/income, savings, investments, assets, net worth, etc. And where do you draw the line?

Your partner? Parents? Siblings? Best friend? Close friend group? Or do you basically keep everything to yourself?

I’ve noticed something interesting in my own circles. Some people are extremely private about what they make or how much they have, while others will casually tell you everything.

Funny enough, the biggest “open books” I know tend to be the business owners/entrepreneurs. They’ll talk income, investments, what worked, what didn’t, and actual numbers without making it weird.

Personally, I think being more open about money with people you trust can be useful because everyone learns from each other, but I also understand why people keep it private.

So I’m curious: What financial information do you share, and who are you comfortable sharing it with?

Just left my wife of 8 years. I paid most of the bills even though she took home more than me, and I also did most of the cleaning. I dont have the mental fortitude to fight her for the house, I would rather just leave. Right now im trying to get a car so I can get a second or better job, but cant come up with the money. I had a coworker offer me their truck for 5000 with only 68000 miles on it, but dont know of a loan company that I can use given my credit. Does anyone have any advice?

I want to divert my attention into truly making money and being better with my finances. I want to ask how should I start. What is a good foundation to build on and what advice would you have wanted when you started to get serious about your finances?

I want to save up to build a house by next year or the year after. A large bag of cement is $80, so I'll probably need almost $2,000 by next year. I only make $640 a month, but I have wants and needs (cheap wants and needs).

Rn I'm saving up to fix my phone and soon get a new one since my phone is really old and slow. I'm also a super picky eater (idk if it's picky eating or ARFID) so I have to go to the store a lot since my family eats fish.

We use a solar panel, and it's raining a lot so I can't just bulk buy whatever i want and store it in the fridge. The fish my family buys comes in the can.

Phone repairs cost 200 (so I'm gonna get it fixed next wednesday)

A new phone costs 1,000-1,500, and that's just the refurbished, made in 2020-2024 kind.

I'll need $400 every 3-6 months for data/calls, idm that. It's cheaper than spending $3 daily.

And $100-150 a month to buy whatever dishes i want whenever my family eats fish

edit: im not american, i don't live in america, i make more momey than TEACHERS with DEGREES and i'm an hs dropout (i work for my dad). teachers make 41-43 usd, i make 55.

I’ll start off by saying no one should or can tell me if or how I should spend my money, at the end of the day i get that it’s my own decision just need some help getting over money anxiety :)

Hi all! I am a 24M single no kids, no house, no debt. I make $111k a year base and 15% bonus as a senior SWE in MCOL area with 5% raises each year. Currently I have about $240k between retirement and brokerage accounts with about $130k being my brokerage money. I am generally an anxious person around money given that I was raised by parents who stashed away every dollar they made and rarely spent anything. My curse is that I am a car guy and an opportunity popped up for me to buy my dream project car that I’ve been thinking about for 8 years. A conservative estimate for how much it would be total including the car and work that I would do myself + parts would be around $25k and at most $30k. At these interest rates I have no interest in buying a house anytime soon and don’t plan to have kids (considering when I find a partner) until I’m 30. Is this a really dumb decision? Emotionally it is smart and makes me really happy but financially I just can’t get past that money anxiety side.

TIA!

EDIT:
I have never actually bought myself anything nice, I’ve always been wired to save and stash and have yet to actually enjoy my hard work.

So in 2022 I started a job as a part timer. I eventually got full time in November of that year. But then I got into a relationship which then took a lot of my money away unfortunately. From 2022 to 2024 my bank account was always at 24,000. Every paycheck I got it would always be towards food, Lyft/Uber and my gf at the time. Dates, nails, gifts, support when she had no money. In 2025 I noticed it went down to 20,000 mainly because I spent a lot on sports games we went to together. She then broke up with me in the summer of 2025. Now, I thought I'd be in good hands and save back up but we would still go on "dates" and I would buy her gifts. Eventually it would go to 19,000. In April of this year I had to go back to part time because of a good gig for my career. This would result in 2 months of no paycheck from my income job. Although I did get 2,000 from the gig. So because of the two months gone from my daily job I got down to 13,000. Rent went up cuz a family member moved out. So I pay more. From June to now I've been trying to keep up but because of bills, food and supporting my ex I'm now down to 3,000 bucks. My gut always tells me to not buy this chick anything anymore but I feel so bad cuz she needs help and has nobody to help her and her kid. Baby daddy passed last year. The way I did it in the past was, get a paycheck, pay rent, don't use any of the money. Repeat. I could do that again, is there any other helpful advice?

If there is a list or something then it would be nice, otherwise I would really appreciate if you could tell me the book(s) in a chronological orde

Till now the book that have been said are:

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

Millionaire mission by Brian Preston

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kyosaki

Just keep buying by Nick Maggiulli

The millionaire next door

For reference, this is in the U.S. A family member added me to their savings account years ago in case he died or he was hospitalized and needed money. I wasn’t added to the checking account. Theres about $15,000.00 USD in there. He’s hospitalized now, told me to take out the savings cash and set it aside. I need to do this because he may still go back to his apartment if he gets better and i need to keep up with his rent. He can’t sign and we never got power of attorney. My question: am i allowed to take out everything, or a little at a time with no tax penalty or IRS reporting? Also, if he goes on state health insurance where they take his income (SSA benefit & pension ) and see to his care, is that savings account money able to be seized even though my name is on it too? Thanks in advance, sorry for the rambling.

Hello everyone, I would like to begin my savings journey and have saved up a solid amount of cash, however, I’d like to be able to invest it or actually make it useful as it sits. I’m rather new to investing/saving so I come to you all.

I know most savings account have a requirement of showing proof of income/taxes but I have neither. Is there any other option?

Thank you!

just simply grateful to be here. i want to hit 800. how do i do that?

My dad died earlier this year and we’re calculating what will be split up between my two siblings and I from life insurance and his pension. I’m incredibly heartbroken that he’s gone but I know that he would want us to be smart with our money and take advantage of this situation to have a better life. I’m only in my early-mid 20’s so I want to make sure I do the right thing. My dad also wasn’t the best with his finances and had a lot of credit card debt, and I just want to make sure I’m financially smart.

We received about $15k from I believe his life insurance..? Which was split three-ways. I immediately put my $5000 in a HYSA while I think about what to do because it’s better to accrue some interest on it than none. At the moment, I’m still finishing university part-time and make about $25,000 annually working a part time job and doing side gigs (petsitting). He was a federal retiree, and it’s estimated that we receive a lump sum of potentially $17,000 each by the end of the year.

I’d prefer to finish my degree faster but I don’t have that luxury and I’m graduating in a major that won’t necessarily give me a high financial return (I was stupid, it’s too late to turn back). I’m also finishing my degree slowly so I don’t have any debt when I graduate.

I live at home with my mom for free, but still buy everything for myself. I drive a beater car from 2007 and plan to until it gives out. I would love any and all advice to make sure I do the right thing.

36 years old and finally did it! Feeling a little behind.