Couple hide £3,000,000 fortune from family and cut their own hair to look poor

This couple, however, have taken things one step further, and actually go out of their way to make it seem like they’re poorer than they are.

Posting on Reddit’s Am I The Asshole? forum, the 51-year-old questioned whether he and his wife, 52, were in the wrong for keeping their wealth hidden.

He explained he’d recently taken semi-retirement following a career in software engineering, while his wife had fully given up working as a registered nurse.

Through being ‘frugal people’ and putting away cash regularly, they’d amassed savings of $4million (£3.1million) between them, of which $1million (£777,610) was tied up in their home.

Yet the number on the couple’s bank statement differs vastly from their families’ perception of their circumstances.

‘I’ve made made it clear to my wife to never tell my family we have money and to pretend that we are dead broke,’ the man wrote. ‘Her family knows we do well but they never ask for money. My family won’t stop asking for money.’

In the man’s post, he explained that his mum, dad and brother all struggle with money management, largely due to their jobs in oil and gas which see them making high wages for short periods followed by stretches without any income.

He claimed: ‘They have never saved anything so they run up credit cards to pay for everything.

‘My parents have also borrowed against their house so many times they effectively haven’t paid anything towards the principle – and they have had that house for 35 years.’

Although he believes his parents should be retired, the man’s father – who’s in his 70s – has had to go back to work as a school bus driver to make ends meet. Additionally, his brother’s alcohol issues and second divorce have compounded their financial woes.

When the poster’s family found out he and his wife had retired early, he said they were ‘livid’ and felt deceived over the situation.

‘I didn’t tell them because I know the results are they would just ask as for money constantly,’ the man continued.

‘They have on several occasions, like when we went on vacation and they found out via Facebook (we have since learned not to post) and came knocking for money. We lied and told them we won some money but had spent it all on the vacation.’

It turned out this wasn’t the only lie they’d told either, as in later comments the man revealed his wife has cut his hair at home for the last 30 years ‘so it looks like [he] can’t even afford a barber’.

Yet now the secret was out, he was looking for perspectives on whether he was ‘obligated to help’ his family – and the overall sentiment on Reddit was no.

‘It is your money. You don’t have to share it with anyone you choose not to,’ said one commenter, while another wrote: ‘Their poor decision making does not mean you should not get to have this really wonderful early retirement with your wife, which you earned.’

A third added: ‘Practice saying, “we’ve retired and are on a fixed income.” They don’t need to know what it’s fixed at and it’s none of their business.’

There were a few dissenters, though.

‘For heaven’s sake your father is 70+ and still working?! Be a good son and human and help your parents!’ said one Redditor.

‘I would never let my parents work into their 70s if I had that kind of money,’ added another. ‘Absolutely appalling.’

Regardless of whether he offers the money, the dynamic will certainly be different now the act is over.

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