Grandparents paid for dad’s new business but not my college tuition: money advice.

Pay Dirt is Slate’s new money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Athena and Elizabeth here. (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

I grew up in a unique financial situation. My parents divorced when I was young, and I mostly lived with my mom, with occasional weekends at my dad’s house. My mom has a lot of health problems, and as a result we were pretty broke a lot of the time, and my basic needs were often unmet. On the other hand, my dad’s family is extremely wealthy. I got used to watching my cousins enjoy expensive clothes, gadgets, and vacations, and as we’ve gotten older, most of them have also been gifted cars, down payments on their homes, and so on. I tried my best not to be bitter about it and comforted myself that my grandparents had always promised to pay my university fees. My dad also made vague promises that I’d “never have to worry about money” while I was in school (or ever).

I’m…

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