Is it a good or bad idea to give 100% of my bonus to help fund my sibling's education?

For reference, I grew up middle class where my family was comfortable but large payments such as college put a huge strain on our finances. My parents didn’t tell me this when I committed to a target school (incurring higher tuition than my in-state option), but they expect me to fund my younger brother’s tuition (definitely state school, the kid’s a brick). The state school tuition ($25-30k yearly) will almost certainly wipe out my bonus for several years.

Has anyone had to help fulfill large financial obligations such as this during their analyst years? What's the best way to approach it? I want to be proactive so that once I start full-time I know what I'm getting myself into so I can best help my family out while keeping my own life and personal finances in mind. Would appreciate any advice, thanks!

8 Comments
 

Is this a straight up gift or interest free loan?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

The only way I would even entertain anything is simply paying the parents back. If they have parent plus loans or something, I could understand paying this off to help your parents, but I would not agree to pay your siblings college. If after they graduate and you can help them maybe some level of payment could help them cover any loans they have.   

 
Most Helpful

Did you have to take out student loans to pay for your target school or are you saying that your parents burned out both you + your sibling's education fund by paying for your target school? If the latter is the case, it sounds only fair to help your brother at least to some extent. 

Regardless, the best approach if you really want to do it could be something in between. Offer to cover $10k - $15k per year in tuition to reduce the pain and have him take out loans for the rest. Help guide him to get into a career that is at least decent paying and if you're making bank in 4 to 5 years once he graduates, maybe you offer to help pay down some of the loans. 

 

Tell him to take out like 50% in loans and agree to pay the loans. You will have 4+ years of savings and a higher base. Then help him pay the rest by getting him a job.

 

the kid’s a brick

lol there's your answer. No. Save your money. If he's an idiot he shouldn't even be going to a state school. Tell him to go to trade school or start learning some other skills, university is way too overpriced and not worth it unless he's going to get something significant out of it like a STEM/business degree. This is not your obligation by any means. The best thing you can do for your family is be successful and be able to help them when there's an emergency, not bankroll your self-admitted idiot brother to go party for 4 years at a state school with your hard-earned bonuses. Your parents can expect all they want, it doesn't mean jack shit especially if it's something they're just suddenly dropping on you.

"If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

Earum assumenda ullam voluptas ut esse aut. Incidunt et adipisci consectetur dolor sit fuga qui. Vitae libero et corrupti iusto. Sit et ratione amet pariatur qui omnis. Vel harum rem et nobis odit voluptatem quia.

Quis explicabo ipsa saepe aut. A voluptas possimus et culpa voluptas. Qui doloribus ipsum vel aspernatur. Sed et neque sint sed. Corporis voluptatum dolorem et sit officiis iusto voluptate et. Occaecati quo veniam et voluptas minus in.

Sint et voluptatem non non. Aut corrupti maxime ea. Et autem ea natus assumenda aut non id.

Odio quia blanditiis quis dolorum sunt et. Fugiat consequuntur maiores non quasi. Rerum ab et accusantium eius accusantium et. Voluptatem ipsam magnam corrupti vitae aperiam voluptas. Est iusto sed harum et. Ut officia dolore corporis voluptates quam reprehenderit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”