Should I give my money to my brother?

Question

I recently received a $2,856 social security check. My father was on social security before he passed away, and I received $600 each month before I turned 18. Once I turned 18, the checks stopped, understandably, but a Social Security Rep said that I could get much more money if I filled out a form regarding high school.

I did everything and got the check. I'm going to college in the fall, so I used some of the money to pay for my tuition (all but $213 was covered by scholarships). I'll use some of the money to cover books and other expenses, but my mother thinks that I should give my brother (21) some of the money because I "got money every month when my brother didn't" because of his age.

This is funny though, because I never saw any of that $600/month. My mother said that it went towards my car insurance and my brother's car insurance, but I never received the checks myself since I was under 18.

Should I give a chunk of money to my brother, or should I keep it for college?

Answer 1

Give him a little.That'd be nice :) You're just starting out...he's already been where you are now....so i'm pretty sure you might need it more than him..

Answer 2

Keep it for college.  Your checks already paid for his car insurance.  Is he going to party on it, or use it for school?  If he is using it for his education you might give him some.  To party? He gets nothing.

Answer 3

If the money went to car insurance for you and your brother, then he did get his share... Car insurance for him would actually have been more expensive because it's more expensive for males.

But, obviously, it's up to you.  Does he need it?  What will he use it for?  Will everyone be mad at you if you don't share it?  How does he feel about it?

Answer 4

it sounds like your mother is like my mother.. loves to play the guilt trip on you. She borrowed a TON of money from me for an "emergency" which happened to be that she didn't like the color of the walls and wanted new wallpaper.. I am now paying interest on that money.. she doesn't think she owes me anything because "she took care of all my needs for 2 years I owe her something".. that's BS.. your mother is playing you..If you give your bro this money, then  next month  or next sem, when you get more money..they will tell you that you owe some of it to him.. You owe him NOTHING. Your mother got the checks and paid the insurance so why is that now your responsiblity..

You need to use that money for college. If the shoe were on the other foot, do you think he would give you HIS money.. what if you go to college and an unexpected expense occurs (car trouble,  computer trouble etc) and you don't have money to fix that expense or cover that repair because you gave your bro that money. You will be the one who suffers.. no transportation to school, no computer for schoolwork... and who says next sem. you won't need that extra money for fees, etc.. that financial aid may not cover.. College goes up EVERY SEMESTER and it gets harder and harder to keep up paying for those costs.

Nobody can tell you what to do but I am telling you that she is using the classic GUILT TRIP on you and if you give in, she will continue to guilt trip you into something else. You have to live with your decision so GL

Answer 5

Alexandria - that's between you and your brother. We don't know the nature of your relationship, and we certainly don't know anything about the extent of your brother's need. If he's going to spend the money on a few six packs and a Playstation 3, then that should certainly influence your decision. Obviously, you'd make better use of the money if you apply it toward your educational expenses. On the other hand, if he's going to buy formula for his baby - that's another story altogether.

The Social Security Administration awards survivor benefits only to recipients of a certain age because they view older children as responsible for their own support. Obviously, the reality differs from family to family. I know families where a relatively hopeless 20-something-year-old child lives at home and relies on mom and dad to pay for everything.

If your brother reasonably needs some posthumous "support" from dad, there's no harm in sharing some of your benefits with him. If your brother just wants "his share", well, then he has no "share" - he should understand that anything you share with him is a mark of your benevolence, and not his "just due".

Ultimately, however, this is going to be about family harmony. If your brother is going to be a jerk about it, and your mother is going to hold your "unreasonableness" against you, then maybe your best choice is to share something with him, even if it's not "necessary" - just to prevent this from being a problem for years and years to come.

Congratulations on that scholarship, by the way.

Good luck to you - I'm sure you'll do the right thing.