There’s a famous phrase that says, “Money is the root of all evil.” While it is generally disagreed upon by experts, the actions of certain people, like the subject of today’s story, may suggest otherwise.

Reddit user cabbage-floss wrote about an unpleasant experience involving a cousin who successfully sued their uncle for an easy payday. But after misusing the money and running into some problems, she is now seeking help from the same people she caused a great deal of stress.

Money issues among family members are always a touchy subject

Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo)

The woman in the story refused to help her ailing father, so her uncle stepped in

Image credits: FHardeep Singh / pexels (not the actual photo)

When the uncle made a profit from selling an old family property, the woman successfully sued him and claimed ownership of the money

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)

But when Barbara misused the money and ran into some problems, she went to seek help from the uncle she sued

Image credits: Cabbage-floss

Money itself isn’t evil, but it can be a gateway, experts say

A group of professionals in various industries, such as economics, psychology, and finance, spoke to WalletHub to answer one question: Is money the root of all evil?

“It is wrong to exchange intrinsic values for the instrumental value of cash,” said Dr. Andrew Fiala, author and philosophy professor at California State University, Fresno. 

“Our deepest metaphor for evil makes this clear: it is wrong to sell your soul. The soul is priceless and non-exchangeable.”

Money addiction is a real thing, and other experts see it as the main problem. 

“While having money is a good thing, loving it—continually needing more of it—often leads to all kinds of trouble,” said Fordham University organizational psychology professor Dr. Paul Baard.

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)

Money issues between family members can be severely damaging

Money may not be the root of all evil, but it does destroy relationships. The story shared by the original poster is just one of the many others out there. 

Author Ellen Jansen shared her story for Good Housekeeping. A failed business venture ruined her once-close relationship with her sister-in-law, Nicole. 

According to Jansen’s account, Nicole invited her to purchase a flower shop for a bargain price of $20,000. But the deal was she would shoulder the money because Nicole’s husband wasn’t sold on the idea. 

In turn, Nicole promised a “fifty-fifty” split of profits. But they got the store for cheap because it had zero traffic. 

The business fell apart, and so did her relationship with Nicole. Jansen’s husband Matt had to take out a home equity loan to raise the money, leaving the couple in debt. 

“I’m polite and just warm enough. But best friends? At this point, we are barely friends at all,” said Jansen, who claimed she received no apology from Nicole. 

In the author’s experience, crossing family for personal monetary gain causes irreparable damage. 

“Screwing somebody over financially is the same thing as saying, ‘You don’t mean that much to me after all.’ What relationship can weather that?

“It’s a shame because we had great times together. I used to have a sister, and now I have just an in-law.”

Image credits: Yan Krukau / pexels (not the actual photo)

The original poster added more information for context

Commenters then offered their reactions, along with suggestions for Kyle’s further actions 

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