Imagine saving for years, only to wake up and find your account emptied, not by hackers or scammers, but by your own parents. A betrayal that drains more than money, it shatters trust. And the kicker? They claim it was never really yours.
Dear Bright Side,
I checked my savings account, built over 2 years, and found it empty. Turns out, my parents had been using joint account access for bills and “emergencies.” My mom said, “It’s not just your money, it’s family money.” Furious, the next day, without warning..I called a lawyer.
I'd find a way to hide my money in a separate bank account and NEVER give them any information about where it is. If you do they will just keep stealing from you. Parents or not NOTHING gives the right to STEAL from you and thats exactly what they did. That's just B.S!!!!!!!!
Close that account, switch to another bank. If you still live with your parents expect to be asked to get your own place. Not sure how old you are; what they did was wrong but if it was a joint account they technically had legal access. Hard lesson to learn.
Oh FFS, get your OWN BANK ACCOUNT AND CUT THEM OFF. WHY do people gripe about "how do I fix things"? You fix it by being INDEPENDENT! Family or not, they ARE NOT ENTITLED TO YOUR MONEY. If you want to be GUILTED or SHAMED into supporting a bunch of leeches, go ahead and "fix it", this way they know that THEY CAN KEEP DOING IT, WITH YOUR BLESSINGS. Grow up and take care of YOURSELF.
Most single people have another person on the account, I'm on dads and my daughters. I sometimes transfer to my daughter, who is a collage student. It is supposed to help. Parents took advantage but op was doing something normal
Well I don't know where you live, but IT IS NOT NORMAL, HERE. You know, in the REAL WORLD.
Under age kids are required to have their parents name on the account. Better to hide it as cash somewhere
If she can get a lawyer, she can get her own bank account. Although I do agree with you about keeping it in cash. Finding the best place to hide it, without ANYONE finding out, is the trick
Under the mattress, inside books, under drawers, yes you don't get any interest from the banks but at least no one knows how much you do or don't have!
The lawyer explained my legal rights regarding joint account access and helped me plan my next steps. When my family found out, they started blaming me, accusing me of overreacting, being disrespectful, and being selfish. Do you think I was the bad one? How should I move and try to fix things with them?
-Julie
Julie, your anger is 100% valid. Two years of savings gone, and your parents call it “family money”? Brutal. But here’s the bigger picture: you can protect yourself, set boundaries, and move forward. We’ve pulled together some tips to help you do exactly that.
Whether it’s family or not, your money belongs to you, and one of the toughest lessons in growing up is learning to protect it. There are countless stories like this, check out another one here.
