Dear Prudence,
My husband and his brother, who are close in age, were orphaned as toddlers. They spent their childhood shunted among family members and spent some time in foster care. They were sometimes neglected and abused, but thankfully they have grown up to have stable families. They are nearing retirement age. My husband lost his business due to the financial crisis and now works two jobs. Retirement is looking impossible. Several years ago my brother-in-law won the lottery, netting $50 million. He has bought several multimillion-dollar vacation properties and is living the good life. He and my husband have a good relationship and speak often. What I don’t understand is how he can stand to see his little brother so stressed and working so hard while he has more money than he could spend in a dozen lifetimes. Obviously he is under no obligation, but he does not seem to realize how hard it is to see how he spends his money on travel and amusements. I think he should help his brother out. What do you think?