A 28-year-old woman's Reddit post describing a disagreement with her husband over how to invest a $100,000 inheritance drew widespread financial advice from commenters who urged the couple to consider their near-term home purchase before making any moves.
Most commenters advised against investing the money in the stock market given the couple's plan to buy a new home within the next year.
The OP said that the couple received a check for about $100,000 from their portion of a home sale. She said that capital gains had already been deducted but expects additional tax considerations.
As of now, this couple has one child and is relatively financially stable. The husband earns about $100,000 a year, while the OP earns $60,000. They have an $180,000 mortgage at a 3.6% interest rate. She said they also have enough retirement savings, with about $160,000 in the husband's accounts and $100,000 in hers.
With all of this going on, the couple had already planned to move to a better care home the next year. But that was before the inheritance came through. The OP said that their initial plan was to put some of the money into a 529 college savings plan for their child and keep the rest in a high-yield savings account (HYSA) for a down payment on their next home.
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They estimated they could get about $70,000 from selling their current home, putting them in the market for properties between $400,000 and $500,000. At first, the husband had agreed. But later he suggested they invest the inheritance instead.
As the OP said, the husband isn't the one who handles the budget or taxes and did not propose a specific investment strategy. However, he has started asking friends for advice.
Several Reddit users also said the couple should consider their timeline before putting the money into higher-risk investments. One said that if buying a home within one or two years was "a near-term certainty," the money should be kept somewhere relatively stable. For example, an HYSA or money market account, rather than the stock market.
Another commenter agreed, as stocks could be risky because the market's value could fall just when the funds are needed.
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Others suggested alternatives such as short-term certificates of deposit, Treasury securities, or CD ladders, depending on timing and their tax situation.
Many commenters also took issue with the husband's decision to discuss the inheritance with friends without the poster's agreement. The OP said they had not agreed to disclose the sudden inheritance and said she will discourage him from telling anyone else.
Some commenters expressed additional concern because the husband had sought investment advice from friends without establishing a specific strategy. Others said it's best not to doubt his intentions, as discussing investments with financially knowledgeable friends is not inherently problematic.
The poster also told the Reddit thread that the husband was not gambling and that both spouses came from different financial backgrounds. This may have influenced their attitudes toward risk.
