Man Upset After Wife Exposes His Big Inheritance to Her Family

A man on Reddit is furious with his wife after she told her family about his big inheritance payout, despite them agreeing to keep it a secret.

"I recently found out I will be inheriting some properties and a significant amount of money. I told my wife but made it clear that this is only between us and she’s not to tell anyone, especially her big-mouth sister. I don’t want anyone to know about the inheritance [and plan to] invest almost all of the money, hire a property management company and intend to keep our current lifestyle," he explained.

"Last night at dinner with her parents and siblings, her father congratulated me on my impending windfall and my brother-in-law pulled me aside to ask about the houses I’ll be receiving," he continued.

The man's brother- and sister-in-law have been saving for a house for a while now, but still can't afford one as their "credit scores are low."

"I was very angry with my wife the entire night but I kept it in check. On the drive home, I yelled at her. I admit it wasn’t my finest hour but she did the exact thing I told her not to do. She argued that my secrecy demand was not right and that she had the right and duty to tell her family about our financial situation because it is also her financial situation," he recalled, adding they "argued for hours" about the matter.

"I told her she can’t be trusted to keep our secrets and that I’m not telling her anything else about the inheritance from this minute on. I said that in the heat of the moment but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. She tells her sister everything and whatever her sister knows, everyone knows. I don’t want the entire city to know what’s going on with our bank account," he shared.

He and his wife were supposed to meet soon with both an attorney and financial advisor, but now he plans to attend the appointments solo.

"I’ve only had [two] topics she’s not allowed to talk about: my health and our finances," he concluded.

In the comments, Reddit users backed his feelings of anger, with many offering advice on how to proceed.

"I highly recommend that you consult a good attorney (probably a divorce attorney) to determine how best to ensure that these assets remain solely yours. You can have your wife benefit from the money without her family getting involved with the money. If you commingle this inheritance with your regular funds it will become a marital asset, and only a matter of time until your wife starts coming up with ways to help the people 'in need' in her family," one person wrote.

"A sudden windfall changes family and relationship dynamics. People develop unhinged expectations that you must help them out no matter what. This has already manifested based on [brother-in-law's] ask. My main concern would be wondering who else my spouse has told. He asked one thing and she could not even honor it," another chimed in.

"From now until the end of their marriage, the wife's family will harass [him] for financial help. Most likely the wife will cave and siphon off marital assets with the hope [he] will cover with his inheritance. His wife has added a significant amount of stress to [him] from now on," someone else commented.