Pay Dirt is Slate’s money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Kristin and Ilyce here . (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

I inherited enough money from my late father to live comfortably and be able to focus on my creative career rather than paying the bills. I have had some success, but it has been chilled by the unchecked jealousy of my stepsiblings, “Janet” and “Tim.” This has been a pattern since we were children, and they hated when I would get gifts from my dad and go on trips with him. After he died and I received his estate, it’s been even worse.

My mom and stepdad live in a small house in a rural area, and I try to visit every month. My father wasn’t even 50 when he died, and it taught me that time here is short. But both Janet and Tim have boomeranged back ho

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