"Pay Dirt is Slate's money advice column.Dear Pay Dirt, Have a question? Send it to Kristin and Ilyce here. (It's anonymous!) I am a 77-year-old man with two adult children. My wife, their mother, died three years ago. Last year, I met a woman who is two years my junior, and we had a connection. Our relationship has been a small miracle for an old man who thought that part of his life was behind him."
"I've had many lucky breaks in my life, and I have the wealth to show for it. My girlfriend has not enjoyed the same economic prosperity in her life. She is a single mom to one daughter and a true American "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" story. She became the second person ever in her family to graduate from college at age 45 (her daughter was the first). She is a remarkable woman."
"She lives in a small rental, so I have been flying her out here or we meet somewhere between us. I always pay, of course, and when we are together we stay in hotels of my standard, which she has never experienced before. It does feel nice to be able to give her these experiences, but I'm also struck that she goes home to live a very frugal lifestyle while I go home to my own lifestyle."
77-year-old widower with two adult children met a 75-year-old retired teacher who is a single mother and long-time frugal renter. He owns a large waterfront home and substantial wealth; she retired at 65 on a fixed income and became the second person in her family to graduate college at 45. They live in different cities and he typically pays for travel and upscale hotel stays when together. He enjoys providing new experiences but notices their starkly different lifestyles. He contemplates using his money to make her life easier, such as providing a home down payment, and worries about implications.
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