Advanced ➔ Results The MoneyistI’m 85 with 2 kids and $4 million. My daughter wants a larger of my estate than my son to compensate for unequal treatment by her father.
‘My daughter has severe health issues — lymphoma, which is now in remission’Published: July 8, 2025 at 5:44 a.
ETResizeListen(7 min)“Incredibly, most of the assets I have today I earned myself as a financial consultant, plus a small inheritance. ” (Photo subject is a model.
) Photo: Getty Images/iStockphotoDear Quentin,I am 85 years old and have an estate, including my house, that is worth apximately $4 million.
I have long-term-care insurance but, in today’s world, $500 a day might not be enough if I need 24/7 care.
Close to half my estate is taxable in qualified plans, the other half is in securities and money-market funds, and my house is in a living trust.
I was divorced in 1979 after 16 years of marriage to a doctor who didn’t have long-term-care insurance and spent a lot of money on care at the end of his life.
After the divorce, I had $15,000 in the bank and a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old to support on very little money.
Incredibly, most of the assets I have today I earned myself as a financial consultant, plus a small inheritance.
The Author Quentin FottrellQuentin Fottrell is MarketWatch's Managing Editor-Advice and The Moneyist columnist. You can him on Twitter @quantanamo.
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