There is a letter typed up and put in our bank safe deposit box stating that when our two daughters divide up our estate one gets the amount we are gifting to her deducted from her share. This may have no legal standing but the daughter insisted on it. In the past when one of the two needed some help we gave the same amount to the other one. But the youngest and her spouse now have increased their income to the point they will not need any help from us again. They are also setting money back for their (early) retirement. The oldest daughter's husband had his employer close the shop he had worked at for years. He had attended every training class offered, could do any job they had, and looked forward to retiring from that company. They gave him a choice that included a big raise to move across the country to another shop but they didn't want to move. So he lost his job. Took him a few years to recover but he now has been promoted several times and takes all the overtime he can get. The initial request from my daughter was how to go about taking money out of his 401K. That is their retirement and I will not allow that while I am able to supply cash to tide them through a rough patch. Thus we are gifting them money.
RSKY