My Wealthy Uncle Made Me a Big Promise Before He Died. I Wish I Could Prove It.

"My wealthy uncle, whose two sons produced no grandchildren, "adopted" my children as his own grandchildren. As such, he promised to pay for their college educations-completely. He put some of the money into their bank accounts and assured me that he had instructed his younger son to dole out the rest of the promised money when the time came. As far as I know, the only written record of this promise was an email I had sent to him, expressing my gratitude."

"Sure, the fact that this person is also your boss makes things a little more awkward. But your best bet is to talk to him about this directly. You can try something like, "Before he passed, your dad told me he'd set aside money for my kids' college. He said you'd handle it when the time came, so I wanted to check in about how that would work. I have the email I sent him thanking him for the arrangement, if that helps.""

A wealthy uncle who had no grandchildren 'adopted' two children and promised to pay their college educations in full. He placed some funds into the children's bank accounts and told his younger son to distribute the remainder when needed. The only written evidence of the promise is a thank-you email from the parent. The uncle recently died and one child will start college in a year, creating urgency. The recommended approach is to speak directly with the uncle's son, present the email if helpful, and frame the conversation as following through on the uncle's intentions rather than as an accusation.

Read at Slate Magazine