Would you give up the money gifted to you to help a family member in need?
Those who are lucky enough to have parents who save up a lot for their college education are in the minority. Many students find themselves working hard to try to stop themselves from being up to their eyeballs in debt, so having a family that will hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars is nothing short of a major privilege.
Like most gifts, those who are fortunate to receive it usually expect that it is something they get to keep. Especially with something as crucial and expensive as a college education, no student wants the unhappy surprise that they no longer have the funds that they thought they did. Sometimes, there just isn’t as much money to go around as they thought there would be.
This may be a risk for anyone with siblings, as parents have to think about securing the future of more than one child. That isn’t always easy, as the paths that their kids may choose to take may not end up being the most predictable, but they still want to support them. There are points where something has to give.