I have a friend, a really kind and good natured guy, with an elderly father and stepmother. My friend and his two siblings are not untouched by life’s misfortunes, but have made the best lives they could, raising families and trying to plan for the future. The step-siblings, not so much. They are funded by his dad, who made some good investments earlier in life.
My friend is saddened by the way his stepmother restricts his access to his father (his father shares complicity, and has noted as much), insisting on being present for conversations.
Both are becoming frail. My friend knows that if his father dies first, the stepmother (bolstered by the thought, in her mind, that she is doing the right thing, taking care of the neediest) will make sure everything goes to her children. They need it more, see?
It wouldn’t take much to allow my friend and his siblings to retire earlier and more soundly, but it’s a coin toss as to whether it will happen. More than anything, he is worried about how this affects his understanding of his family relationships.
This kind of story plays out again and again, and for the same reasons. It’s not like a newly remarried man will tell his new bride, “My savings aren’t going to be wasted on subsidizing your lazy ass kids.” (Although, maybe he should)