March 23, 2017. Madison, Mississippi. J. & S.

We bought our Mississippi home from J.  She was pleasant and helpful to us even though her daughter who lived in New Orleans was mean and nasty to everyone, except at settlement when she was pleasant.   J. had been widow for 4 years  and for 4 years prior to S's death he had been ill, so when we saw the house, it had 8 years of deferred maintenance, which after 2 years has all been done.

J.&S. belonged to the Yacht Club and was well known there.  Evidently they ate there several times a week and held lavish parties at their home.  Both were friendly and pleasant and everyone spoke well of them both.  And everyone thought they were rich, including the daughter from his first marriage.  After S. died,  and the will was read and the accounting done, it appeared that S.&J. had no money.  They spent everything he had earned.  J. was taken to court for hiding all the money because  one quarter of the assets were to go to the step daughter and she was sure that J. had done something with all the money.  But there was no money so she lost her case.  She also lost a step-mother.

J. took a job in a dress shop because she could not cover her expenses.  For two years she tried to sell the house but she did nothing to fix it up so it took ages to sell.  And she no longer was a member of the Yacht Club.

The other day when we were there for brunch, the people at the adjacent table were discussing J.  "She was such a lovely lady and she has disappeared," one lady said to the other.  I could have told them that J. has moved to Hattiesburg and owns a little house there, but I never said a word.  J.&S. seem to be perfect examples of how not to handle your money.   S. was the life of the party and lived the high life.  But he never saved a dime.  Everyone thought he was rich but he actually was poor, leaving his elderly widow with taking a job even though she had never worked a day in her life.   J. was a well known attorney in Jackson but he needed some instructions in handling money.  Not smart and not wise.