Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Josiecat22222]

@LennStar - definitely a luxury problem!  Yes, I will absolutely employ my freezer so there is no food waste! And I shared with another friend (as we often do)

[crocheted_stache]

My MPP: We cannot justify replacing our soon-to-be 20yo car, although we could easily afford to.

Together, DH and I don't drive enough. It's an only car and has been for most of its career. It's starting to act/show its age with some paint decay and some new rattles, but it's still basically reliable, and mechanic visits still cost less than an upgrade.

We both bike most places and only resort to driving when the distance is excessive, the weather is terrible, or we have passengers or cargo to transport, often less than once per week. I'm not sure an EV would be happy sitting there, being ignored most of the time. We don't want to bike less or drive more just to keep a car in shape. (Related sub-problem: our insurance company's lowest annual mileage threshold is 7000 miles per year, and we drive less than half that.)

If local public transportation and car share were enough to make up the difference, we'd have figured that out by now. Also, we kind of like our existing car, not least because it has no screen.

[Sugaree]

I want to schedule the transfer from my bank account to my IRA on 1/1 to fund it for 2024.  I can schedule a future transfer.  I can choose 2024 from a dropdown menu as the the contribution year.  But apparently the contribution max for 2024 hasn't been updated in their software yet and it won't let me contribute the entire $7k as a scheduled transfer.  Boo. 


Apparently, it's just a problem with making a single transaction. It did allow me to schedule both a $6500 transfer and a $500 transfer.  That's dumb.

[crocheted_stache]

We are trying to use up stuff to move in a couple months but ran out of yeast. Our choices were 4 oz for $5 (Walmart) or 32 oz for 4.89 (Costco).  I ran the numbers on just buying bread for that amount of time and it doesn't work out.  Same for buying the little packets. We got the 32oz.

I know I'm two years late replying, but my solution to the giant package costing less than the smaller size is to offer the surplus on Buy Nothing. With yeast, I don't quite use two pounds while it's still fresh, anyway, so I am to give away about a third upon opening the new bag. It's also an excuse to pass along any little containers that were too nice or too "useful" to just recycle. Someone else does not have to pay $5 for the small packet or buy 2lbs when they only needed a little, and I find out which neighbors like to bake.

[Sibley]

The BCBS website is down. I have $20k in claims being processed, and I also am starting to accumulate medical bills. I would like to be able to cross reference. This is annoying.

And my work 401k website is transitioning, so that's not accessible for a few days. Also annoying, because I can't update my spreadsheet.

[NorthernIkigai]

I can't update my spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet update time -- like Christmas for Mustachians :-D I celebrate it four times per year!

[Josiecat22222]

I can't update my spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet update time -- like Christmas for Mustachians :-D I celebrate it four times per year!

Celebrate like Christmas when the market is up....then "air our grievances" like Festivus when the market is down?

[Sandi_k]

I can't update my spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet update time -- like Christmas for Mustachians :-D I celebrate it four times per year!

LOL, so true!

I update net worth 2x per year, investments once per month. Getting excited to pull the "end of year" stats!

[Turtle]

I can't update my spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet update time -- like Christmas for Mustachians :-D I celebrate it four times per year!

Celebrate like Christmas when the market is up....then "air our grievances" like Festivus when the market is down?

This.  Exactly.  <Grin>

[dragoncar]

I can't update my spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet update time -- like Christmas for Mustachians :-D I celebrate it four times per year!

Celebrate like Christmas when the market is up....then "air our grievances" like Festivus when the market is down?

I just don’t update my spreadsheet when the market is down.  Like
It never even happened

[NorthernIkigai]

I'm happy 31 Dec is on a Sunday this year. That means I can update everything in peace and quite on Friday night, instead of being at a party when the market closes on the last trading day of the year, secretly wishing I could be at home with my spreadsheets.

So no MPP this year, unusually.

[ixtap]

MPP #1) We update our spreadsheet when RSUs vest, so we never know our year end portfolio value.

MPP #2) DH's newest RSUs are showing a quarterly vesting period. I *think* I will just keep updating with the RSUs closet to ESPP as the double influx will have the greatest effect on our need to rebalance (or not), but we didn't have "RSUs vesting more frequently" in our IPS!

[fuzzy math]

The BCBS website is down. I have $20k in claims being processed, and I also am starting to accumulate medical bills. I would like to be able to cross reference. This is annoying.

And my work 401k website is transitioning, so that's not accessible for a few days. Also annoying, because I can't update my spreadsheet.

All the IT workers are off this week - DH included! Fidelity is down this morning and I need to change my retirement contributions for 2024.

My MPP (damnit its happened to me I already posted this here in years past): I'm $190.43 short of maxing out my 457b for 2023. Wasn't able to contribute as much earlier in the year due to life circumstances, then when things calmed down I upped my contributions. There were 2 paycheck lags in it being implemented, then I realized I'd be under and upped the amount again. Another lag, another "wow this is seriously going to be under", another upping the contribution and alas I was too far behind.

I'm going to have to turn in my "maxed out my retirement for the year" badge. :(

[pasadenafr]

Did my EOY spreadsheet update this morning, and realized my total contributions for the year were $99,827. Of course I couldn't let that stand, so I transferred $175 from my checking account to my brokerage to get over $100k, and had to play a little game of whack-a-mole in the budget to make up for it.

It sounds SO FIRST WORLD PRIVILEGE PROBLEMS I'm almost ashamed of writing it down.

[Taran Wanderer]

Paid cash for a property and mostly cash for a car about a week later, and then the MPP… I had to move cash around to cover the first payment on a construction project and some other spending that comes in big annual chunks like property taxes and car insurance. I really dislike worrying about cash flow and usually keep a big enough cushion that I don’t have to, but… not this month!

[LennStar]

Did my EOY spreadsheet update this morning, and realized my total contributions for the year were $99,827. Of course I couldn't let that stand, so I transferred $175 from my checking account to my brokerage to get over $100k, and had to play a little game of whack-a-mole in the budget to make up for it.

It sounds SO FIRST WORLD PRIVILEGE PROBLEMS I'm almost ashamed of writing it down.

That's not first world privilege problem, that is a 1% of first world privilege problem. A millionth problem!

[Blackeagle]

Ugh.

I just logged into a 401k from an old job and realized how big the fees were.  They're charging me about 20x more than TIAA is on a similarly sized account.

Right now I'm a squirrel that has 401Ks stashed like nuts. Thankfully, none of the others are ripping me off quite like this.  Still, I should really get serious about rolling them over into an IRA.

[Sandi_k]

My MPP is that my employer has the retirement estimator offline for maintenance until mid-January. Which means I have to estimate various things for my 2024 financial plan. Very annoying!

[pasadenafr]

Did my EOY spreadsheet update this morning, and realized my total contributions for the year were $99,827. Of course I couldn't let that stand, so I transferred $175 from my checking account to my brokerage to get over $100k, and had to play a little game of whack-a-mole in the budget to make up for it.

It sounds SO FIRST WORLD PRIVILEGE PROBLEMS I'm almost ashamed of writing it down.

That's not first world privilege problem, that is a 1% of first world privilege problem. A millionth problem!

True! I was trying to find words strong enough, you did better than me :)

[fuzzy math]

My MPP is that my employer has the retirement estimator offline for maintenance until mid-January. Which means I have to estimate various things for my 2024 financial plan. Very annoying!

Very annoying but also possibly an opportunity to find a new tool to geek out with??

[Sandi_k]

My MPP is that my employer has the retirement estimator offline for maintenance until mid-January. Which means I have to estimate various things for my 2024 financial plan. Very annoying!

Very annoying but also possibly an opportunity to find a new tool to geek out with??

Nope - this is specific to the present lump sum value of my defined benefit pension. No other tool possible...

[Metalcat]

I have the same MPP every week.

A forum member pointed me to a service that collects food from grocery stores that is at or just after best before dates. For $40 we get an enormous amount of rather high end food, significantly more than two people can eat in a week. Much of it is frozen, so that helps with supply management.

However, a lot of it is not frozen and needs to be used very quickly, so there's always some Sophie's choice the first two days of which premium items get thrown out because we literally cannot get through all of them and some can't be frozen. This still leaves behind WAY more food that we need, but I struggle with tossing premium food items. I try to remind myself that it's all rescued garbage and any that we eat is a win.

I do not need to eat a dozen doughnuts in two days. It's okay to waste the doughnuts.

[pasadenafr]

I have the same MPP every week.

A forum member pointed me to a service that collects food from grocery stores that is at or just after best before dates. For $40 we get an enormous amount of rather high end food, significantly more than two people can eat in a week. Much of it is frozen, so that helps with supply management.

However, a lot of it is not frozen and needs to be used very quickly, so there's always some Sophie's choice the first two days of which premium items get thrown out because we literally cannot get through all of them and some can't be frozen. This still leaves behind WAY more food that we need, but I struggle with tossing premium food items. I try to remind myself that it's all rescued garbage and any that we eat is a win.

I do not need to eat a dozen doughnuts in two days. It's okay to waste the doughnuts.

Ask you neighbors if they want to share?

[Metalcat]

I have the same MPP every week.

A forum member pointed me to a service that collects food from grocery stores that is at or just after best before dates. For $40 we get an enormous amount of rather high end food, significantly more than two people can eat in a week. Much of it is frozen, so that helps with supply management.

However, a lot of it is not frozen and needs to be used very quickly, so there's always some Sophie's choice the first two days of which premium items get thrown out because we literally cannot get through all of them and some can't be frozen. This still leaves behind WAY more food that we need, but I struggle with tossing premium food items. I try to remind myself that it's all rescued garbage and any that we eat is a win.

I do not need to eat a dozen doughnuts in two days. It's okay to waste the doughnuts.

Ask you neighbors if they want to share?

We do tend to gift a lot of food to our neighbours. Not sure they would be keen on items that are past their best before though. I can ask.

[LennStar]

I have the same MPP every week.

A forum member pointed me to a service that collects food from grocery stores that is at or just after best before dates. For $40 we get an enormous amount of rather high end food, significantly more than two people can eat in a week. Much of it is frozen, so that helps with supply management.

However, a lot of it is not frozen and needs to be used very quickly, so there's always some Sophie's choice the first two days of which premium items get thrown out because we literally cannot get through all of them and some can't be frozen. This still leaves behind WAY more food that we need, but I struggle with tossing premium food items. I try to remind myself that it's all rescued garbage and any that we eat is a win.

I do not need to eat a dozen doughnuts in two days. It's okay to waste the doughnuts.

Interesting service. On one hand I would like it, on the other I also have big problems throwing food away, so I would probably grow horizontally using that :D

[glacio09]

Did my EOY spreadsheet update this morning, and realized my total contributions for the year were $99,827. Of course I couldn't let that stand, so I transferred $175 from my checking account to my brokerage to get over $100k, and had to play a little game of whack-a-mole in the budget to make up for it.

It sounds SO FIRST WORLD PRIVILEGE PROBLEMS I'm almost ashamed of writing it down.

That's not first world privilege problem, that is a 1% of first world privilege problem. A millionth problem!

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. He's been looking at getting a new job and any higher paying job would push us over the income limits and he can't do a back door rollover to get around it. I was trying to not so subtly push him to put it in before the end of the year. He obliged and that combined with the extra into our taxable account this month pushed us over the 100k, but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

[glacio09]

My big problem for a few weeks now is trying to find a replacement for Mint. I finally rolled it over to Credit Karma and that is completely useless. YNAB doesn't work. Empower won't let me in. Lots of websites are blocked by my company's firewall so I can't do checks at work. I finally signed up for Monarch and am liking it, but the Fidelity accounts are only pulling the aggregate and not the transactions. It would suck to pay $100 for something that isn't perfect but I"m running out of options. I do a lot of stuff in Excel, but I like being able to just pull the data and do a quick check in between my big data uploads.

Grrrr.....

[BlueHouse]

Made too much from TSLA that now I can't sell it without triggering big Cap Gains and affecting ACA subsidy.     

[eyesonthehorizon]

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. … but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

In most cases you’re able to contribute until tax day for the prior year, because people at the edge of a MAGI limit rarely know it by end of year. You’re months early (which is a good thing.)

If you find a good Mint replacement, please share. I keep waffling between a hardline stance on DIY or just trying Simplifi which seems to be the cheapest paid option.

[pasadenafr]

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. … but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

In most cases you’re able to contribute until tax day for the prior year, because people at the edge of a MAGI limit rarely know it by end of year. You’re months early (which is a good thing.)

If you find a good Mint replacement, please share. I keep waffling between a hardline stance on DIY or just trying Simplifi which seems to be the cheapest paid option.

Yes but if you do that in 2024, it won't show in the 2023 savings spreadsheet!

[getsorted]

My big problem for a few weeks now is trying to find a replacement for Mint. I finally rolled it over to Credit Karma and that is completely useless. YNAB doesn't work. Empower won't let me in. Lots of websites are blocked by my company's firewall so I can't do checks at work. I finally signed up for Monarch and am liking it, but the Fidelity accounts are only pulling the aggregate and not the transactions. It would suck to pay $100 for something that isn't perfect but I"m running out of options. I do a lot of stuff in Excel, but I like being able to just pull the data and do a quick check in between my big data uploads.

Grrrr.....

First of all -- code MINT50 reduces the annual cost of Monarch to $49.99.

Second of all, I contacted help & support and it looks like they are working on bringing in Fidelity transactions!

[glacio09]

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. … but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

In most cases you’re able to contribute until tax day for the prior year, because people at the edge of a MAGI limit rarely know it by end of year. You’re months early (which is a good thing.)

If you find a good Mint replacement, please share. I keep waffling between a hardline stance on DIY or just trying Simplifi which seems to be the cheapest paid option.

Yes but if you do that in 2024, it won't show in the 2023 savings spreadsheet!

That's my MPP. Just because I know it technically countsas 2023, the reports wouldn't be as pretty!

[fuzzy math]

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. … but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

In most cases you’re able to contribute until tax day for the prior year, because people at the edge of a MAGI limit rarely know it by end of year. You’re months early (which is a good thing.)

If you find a good Mint replacement, please share. I keep waffling between a hardline stance on DIY or just trying Simplifi which seems to be the cheapest paid option.

Yes but if you do that in 2024, it won't show in the 2023 savings spreadsheet!

That's my MPP. Just because I know it technically countsas 2023, the reports wouldn't be as pretty!

And you'd have to live your life knowing you're a spreadsheet cheater! It ruins the savings satisfaction

[ChpBstrd]

While reviewing my spending in Mint, I realized it was showing twice as much as expected spent on my internet provider. That led me to realize it had the same credit card listed twice, and duplicate transactions since May. I deleted the extra account and suddenly my YTD spending fell by about $4k.

All this volatility due to errors and data quality issues makes it hard to estimate a FIRE number.

[Tasse]

Hopefully you don't mean your 2024 YTD spending.... ;)

[Sugaree]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning. 

[pasadenafr]

I had that this month. My husband and I were at about 92,000 for the year but he hadn't put in anything to his IRA. … but i was getting a bit anxious that he wasn't going to put it in in time.

In most cases you’re able to contribute until tax day for the prior year, because people at the edge of a MAGI limit rarely know it by end of year. You’re months early (which is a good thing.)

If you find a good Mint replacement, please share. I keep waffling between a hardline stance on DIY or just trying Simplifi which seems to be the cheapest paid option.

Yes but if you do that in 2024, it won't show in the 2023 savings spreadsheet!

That's my MPP. Just because I know it technically countsas 2023, the reports wouldn't be as pretty!

And you'd have to live your life knowing you're a spreadsheet cheater! It ruins the savings satisfaction

You have to choose between having a non-even/under-milestone number in your spreadsheet, or having a factually incorrect spreadsheet, and having to look at that forever.

So if you're like @glacio09 and me, you're going to scrape those $$ in the last few days of 2023, even if you have to make up for that in 2024 :)

Nobody said it was smart!

[Fomerly known as something]

While reviewing my spending in Mint, I realized it was showing twice as much as expected spent on my internet provider. That led me to realize it had the same credit card listed twice, and duplicate transactions since May. I deleted the extra account and suddenly my YTD spending fell by about $4k.

All this volatility due to errors and data quality issues makes it hard to estimate a FIRE number.

Thankyou,  this was happening on Empower and driving me nuts with my new Capital one card.  Duplicate account removed.

[Alternatepriorities]

My latest MPP: I seem to have crossed an asset threshold with vanguard and they suddenly become way more aggressive advertising their financial advise services. Or maybe they’ve just drifted off course since we lost Jack…

[ChpBstrd]

Hopefully you don't mean your 2024 YTD spending.... ;)

Well one doesn't experience issues like this if one has an eye for detail.

[Loren Ver]

My latest MPP: I seem to have crossed an asset threshold with vanguard and they suddenly become way more aggressive advertising their financial advise services. Or maybe they’ve just drifted off course since we lost Jack…

I don't think it is a threshold, they are hitting me up too, and they have less of my money than anyone else.  Even less now that I closed my dividend accounts.  Speaking of that....

My MMP, my dividend accounts were paying dividends at the last possible minute every year (as well as quarterly throughout the year).  This is really inefficient when trying to keep on the low end of MAGI for ACA, so at the end of 2023, I finally gave them the ax.  This helped clean up my spreadsheet, two less lines to track year over year, and less stress trying to predict how much income will appear at the end of each year that is 100% towards MAGI. 

This also means less BOO HOO small violin from DH as he would listen to my laments about it. 

Loren

[RetiredAt63]

My latest MPP: I seem to have crossed an asset threshold with vanguard and they suddenly become way more aggressive advertising their financial advise services. Or maybe they’ve just drifted off course since we lost Jack…

I don't think it is a threshold, they are hitting me up too, and they have less of my money than anyone else.  Even less now that I closed my dividend accounts.  Speaking of that....

My MMP, my dividend accounts were paying dividends at the last possible minute every year (as well as quarterly throughout the year).  This is really inefficient when trying to keep on the low end of MAGI for ACA, so at the end of 2023, I finally gave them the ax.  This helped clean up my spreadsheet, two less lines to track year over year, and less stress trying to predict how much income will appear at the end of each year that is 100% towards MAGI. 

This also means less BOO HOO small violin from DH as he would listen to my laments about it. 

Loren

My REIT is also last minute for taxes and it is a real pain.  Last year I had to refile, they were so late.

[eyesonthehorizon]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

[Sugaree]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

Not that good.  My parents jokingly asked if I had $1500 that they could borrow to fix something on their house and were kind of shocked when not only did I have it, but that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I've covered a few things for them in the past (large car repair bill while they were 300 miles from home on vacation, for example) but this will be the first time that it's something that won't be immediately paid back.  I'm not that worried about it, because they're my parents and they've done so much to help me.  But, I don't want my brother to find out because he hit me up awhile back for $25k. 

[solon]

My new employer was fishing around for a phone I could use and came up with an iPhone 11. It's several years old, and it's the first iPhone I've ever used.

I've been texting customers and vendors, some bubbles are green and some are blue. I honestly can't remember which color I'm supposed to hate.

[Morning Glory]

My new employer was fishing around for a phone I could use and came up with an iPhone 11. It's several years old, and it's the first iPhone I've ever used.

I've been texting customers and vendors, some bubbles are green and some are blue. I honestly can't remember which color I'm supposed to hate.

Incoming bubbles are all grey on my phone. I didn't even know about the green/blue thing.

[ChpBstrd]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

Not that good.  My parents jokingly asked if I had $1500 that they could borrow to fix something on their house and were kind of shocked when not only did I have it, but that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I've covered a few things for them in the past (large car repair bill while they were 300 miles from home on vacation, for example) but this will be the first time that it's something that won't be immediately paid back.  I'm not that worried about it, because they're my parents and they've done so much to help me.  But, I don't want my brother to find out because he hit me up awhile back for $25k.

Reminds me of when I loaned my parents $1500 at 9% or 10% interest while I was a college student paying my own way with part-time jobs. Their air conditioner went out and they asked me to help them pay for it. It was helpful they taught me to keep a little receipt book for payments and to account for the loan, but if they had those skills why did they need to borrow $1500 from a 19 year old college student?

[Turtle]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

Not that good.  My parents jokingly asked if I had $1500 that they could borrow to fix something on their house and were kind of shocked when not only did I have it, but that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I've covered a few things for them in the past (large car repair bill while they were 300 miles from home on vacation, for example) but this will be the first time that it's something that won't be immediately paid back.  I'm not that worried about it, because they're my parents and they've done so much to help me.  But, I don't want my brother to find out because he hit me up awhile back for $25k.

Reminds me of when I loaned my parents $1500 at 9% or 10% interest while I was a college student paying my own way with part-time jobs. Their air conditioner went out and they asked me to help them pay for it. It was helpful they taught me to keep a little receipt book for payments and to account for the loan, but if they had those skills why did they need to borrow $1500 from a 19 year old college student?

Were your parents trying to ultimately help you out by paying you that interest and teaching you skills?  Or was that an unintended benefit?

[ChpBstrd]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

Not that good.  My parents jokingly asked if I had $1500 that they could borrow to fix something on their house and were kind of shocked when not only did I have it, but that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I've covered a few things for them in the past (large car repair bill while they were 300 miles from home on vacation, for example) but this will be the first time that it's something that won't be immediately paid back.  I'm not that worried about it, because they're my parents and they've done so much to help me.  But, I don't want my brother to find out because he hit me up awhile back for $25k.

Reminds me of when I loaned my parents $1500 at 9% or 10% interest while I was a college student paying my own way with part-time jobs. Their air conditioner went out and they asked me to help them pay for it. It was helpful they taught me to keep a little receipt book for payments and to account for the loan, but if they had those skills why did they need to borrow $1500 from a 19 year old college student?

Were your parents trying to ultimately help you out by paying you that interest and teaching you skills?  Or was that an unintended benefit?

I've considered that it might have been some sort of lesson - though lending money to relatives is always a bad idea. I have no access to their finances to prove they needed the loan, but in general money has always burnt a hole in their pockets. I might have actually been their best option to borrow at the time. Loans were a lot more expensive back then, and 10% was probably a fair rate for an unsecured bank loan.

[Metalcat]

I usually let everyone think that I'm riding the struggle bus.  I'm pretty sure I blew my cover this morning.

I smell a good story, is there a way to tell it but anonymize it?

Not that good.  My parents jokingly asked if I had $1500 that they could borrow to fix something on their house and were kind of shocked when not only did I have it, but that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I've covered a few things for them in the past (large car repair bill while they were 300 miles from home on vacation, for example) but this will be the first time that it's something that won't be immediately paid back.  I'm not that worried about it, because they're my parents and they've done so much to help me.  But, I don't want my brother to find out because he hit me up awhile back for $25k.

Reminds me of when I loaned my parents $1500 at 9% or 10% interest while I was a college student paying my own way with part-time jobs. Their air conditioner went out and they asked me to help them pay for it. It was helpful they taught me to keep a little receipt book for payments and to account for the loan, but if they had those skills why did they need to borrow $1500 from a 19 year old college student?

Were your parents trying to ultimately help you out by paying you that interest and teaching you skills?  Or was that an unintended benefit?

I've considered that it might have been some sort of lesson - though lending money to relatives is always a bad idea. I have no access to their finances to prove they needed the loan, but in general money has always burnt a hole in their pockets. I might have actually been their best option to borrow at the time. Loans were a lot more expensive back then, and 10% was probably a fair rate for an unsecured bank loan.

It also seems like any benefit would be offset by the emotional injury of making a 19 year old fear for their parent's financial well being.