Take Farnoosh&#39;s <a href="https://www.jotform.com/build/262556781257063" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">midlife survey</a>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:<ul><li>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.</li><li>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.</li><li>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.</li></ul>Stories discussed<ul><li><a href="https://www.upworthy.com/gen-x-is-redefining-what-retirement-means-were-not-afraid-to-blow-up-our-lives/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Upworthy: Gen X is redefining what retirement means</a></li><li><a href="https://financebuzz.com/average-retirement-savings-84-year-old" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FinanceBuzz: Average retirement savings of 84-year-old Americans</a> — The cited figures cover households age 75 and older with retirement accounts, rather than specifically all 84-year-olds.</li><li><a href="https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/archive" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Freddie Mac: Weekly mortgage-rate survey archive</a></li></ul>Mailbag sources and resourcesThe inheritance question<ul><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1x0eetk/just_got_25k_from_inheritance_what_to_do_with_it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Original Reddit discussion</a></li><li><a href="https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/save-and-invest/pay-credit-cards-or-other-high-interest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Investor.gov: Paying off high-interest debt</a></li><li><a href="https://www.investor.gov/additional-resources/general-resources/publications-research/info-sheets/lump-sum-payouts-questions-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Investor.gov: Making the most of a lump-sum payment</a></li></ul>The college-gift question<ul><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1w7d1c4/how_to_pay_for_niecesnephews_college_tuitions/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Original Reddit discussion</a></li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i709" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IRS: Gift-tax guidance, including the educational exclusion</a></li></ul>The Zelle question<ul><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1wecuzg/whyhow_is_zelle_reversible_and_non_reversible_at/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reddit: Why are some Zelle payments reversible?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1x3j9fu/us_banks_fraud_department_told_me_to_send_500_to/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Related Reddit discussion: An unexpected $500 payment</a></li><li><a href="https://dfr.oregon.gov/news/news2026/Pages/20260902-DFR-warns-consumers-about-growing-payment-app-scams.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oregon financial regulator: “Payment sent by mistake” scams</a></li><li><a href="https://www.zelle.com/support/report-scam" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zelle: Reporting fraud or a scam</a></li></ul>Have a money question or a midlife decision you’re wrestling with? Visit <a href="https://somoneypodcast.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SoMoneyPodcast.com</a> and click Ask Farnoosh.How&#39;s midlife going? <a href="https://www.jotform.com/build/262556781257063" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fill out Farnoosh&#39;s survey</a> and help shape the podcast in 2027.

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