Page 119 of Structure of Love
My jaw dropped. “Holy fuck, you’re making good money.”
“That I am.” His chest puffed out a bit. He was pleased with himself, as he should be. “Granted, the first two years or so, weweren’t pulling that kind of money, but it’s grown to that. Seems like it plateaus about that mark, too, as it’s what Grandpa made—anywhere between two hundred and two hundred and fifty thousand.”
Cooper let out a low whistle. “Bro, can I own a bar when I grow up?”
I laughed, because he was mostly joking but… “There’s definitely worse careers out there. So, Logan, dare I ask how much is in that account?”
“Over a million.”
The figure didn’t make any sense at first. Then my jaw dropped once more, leaving me spluttering. “Are you fucking serious?!”
Logan shrugged. “I stared at the account for a long-ass time, hon. Pretty sure I didn’t hallucinate it. You see now what I mean. What the hell do I do with all of this money?”
Erin swallowed from her glass before setting it down and twisting a little in her chair to look her brother dead in the eye. “You do what Grandpa should have done.”
Logan’s head cocked, brows beetled a little with confusion. “Explain.”
“Most grandparents, y’know, if they can afford to? They help their grandchildren financially. College, weddings, first cars, first houses—they help them so they’re not struggling so bad. Especially in this economy, if Grandpa had that kind of money just lying around, he should have helped all of us.”
Erin raised a good point. It wasn’t like people were obligated to give vast amounts of money to their grandchildren, but more that the practice was common. Grandparents, generally speaking, adored their grandchildren and wanted to give them a leg up in life.
Cooper surprised me by saying, “I think it’s wrong he didn’t leave anything to the rest of the siblings, just because he didn’tthink your dad was his. It was selfish to leave something to Logan and not anyone else.”
Erin snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Exactly. It was hurtful and rude! I realize he had his own issues going on, but ignoring all of us on asuspicionis just…wow.”
Tapping a finger on his lips, Logan stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Huh. Yeah. That would be a great use of it. Gage, second opinion.”
“Hit me.” He’d done this often over the past week, using me as a sounding board for decisions, and truthfully? It thrilled me to my toes, him trusting me that much.
“Should I divvy up the money between all my siblings and be done with it?”
“You could, and there would be nothing wrong about doing so.But, I would consider the rising generation too. You said you’ve got nephews and nieces?”
“Right, eight in total.”
“Start an education trust fund for each of them,” I suggested. “As kids are born, continue doing so. That way they’re set. They won’t be in a ton of debt when they’re done with school.”
“Oooh,” Erin breathed out, delighted by my idea. “Yeah, do that. How much, though, Gage?”
“I would say, don’t open savings accounts, but stock trust fund accounts. Hire someone to manage them, and start each account at, perhaps, twenty-five thousand. The kids are all young, after all. You’ve got time to let those accounts mature.”
“This is why I asked you,” Logan said with blatant relief. “You know this financial stuff so much better than I do.”
“Mostly because of Riggs, not going to lie. If there’s a spreadsheet involved, it has his full attention. Anyway, I say each of your siblings gets a cut of the money, and each child gets a trust fund. I do caution you, leave at least two hundred thousandin the business account. Just in case a disaster strikes, say, or you have a couple of lean years. Money spends fast.”
“Also good counsel. Thanks, hon, I’ll definitely do that.” He pulled his phone out and started typing numbers in. “So if I give each great-grandchild twenty-five thousand, that’ll be one hundred thousand altogether…”
I let him play with numbers. If my internal math was right, each child would get a hundred thousand dollars, which was no small amount, and hopefully could pay down some debts or let them buy a car. Maybe even buy a house. I was pretty sure Logan would use his money on renovations for his new bar, but he could surprise me.
Either way, his money, he could do with it what he wanted. I knew he’d likely do something sensible. Logan wasn’t the type to chase luxury. Not when home comforts meant so much more to him.
Erin looked at the numbers, thinking. “My money will pay for my education, looks like.”
Knowing her goal, I asked, “How long does it take to become a mechanic?”
“Baseline, two years, but if you want the certifications that get you the good-paying positions, it’s more like three or five.”
“Ahh. Then yes, you’ll need that money to pay for school and living expenses.”