What if the retirement you’re saving for isn’t the life you actually want?

This week on Ask Farnoosh, we unpack a story about Gen X’s willingness to “blow up” their lives—from downsizing to moving overseas—to make room for more freedom. Plus, a closer look at a headline about retirement savings at age 84, what those numbers really tell us, and this week’s mortgage-rate news.

Then, three questions adapted from public Reddit conversations:

I inherited $25,000. Should I pay off debt, invest—or enjoy some of it? How to prioritize competing goals, weigh a nine-percent car loan, and make a thoughtful decision without making a joyless one.
We want to pay our nieces’ and nephews’ college tuition. What if one doesn’t go? Setting clear expectations, supporting different paths, and understanding a useful gift-tax distinction.
Someone sent me money through Zelle by mistake. Why shouldn’t I just send it back? Sending a new payment doesn’t undo the original transaction—and that difference could leave you paying for someone else’s fraud.

Stories discussed

Upworthy: Gen X is redefining what retirement means
FinanceBuzz: Average retirement savings of 84-year-old Americans — The cited figures cover households age 75 and older with retirement accounts, rather than specifically all 84-year-olds.
Freddie Mac: Weekly mortgage-rate survey archive

Mailbag sources and resources

The inheritance question

The college-gift question

The Zelle question

Have a money question or a midlife decision you’re wrestling with? Visit SoMoneyPodcast.com and click Ask Farnoosh.

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