ANNIE’S MAILBOX Bud could turn out to be a dud

Dear Annie: I’ve been seeing “Bud” for a year. He lives in a trailer park and has a 23-year-old daughter. This girl insists that her mother (Bud’s ex-wife) spend weekends at the trailer, so Bud spends those weekends at my house. This has put some stress on our relationship. His daughter often buys things for her mother, and Bud pays the bills. If I were to marry him, I would make him sign a pre-nup. Am I being naive about our relationship? Can’t Take It Anymore

Dear Can’t Take It: You’re not naive. But you don’t seem to accept your limitations when it comes to changing the situation. A pre-nup won’t solve your problem. Bud is going to continue to pay for his daughter’s bills. Your decision is how best to respond to this.

Dear Annie: My husband is one of five sons. His parents recently passed away, and he is the executor of the estate and is in the process of selling their home. He selected the realtor he felt would do the best job. One brother tried to get my husband to pick a friend. Another has been really nasty, telling my husband he should try harder to get more money from the sale.

My husband’s niece would like to buy the house. My husband was happy to keep the house in the family. He called a family meeting, but only two brothers showed up, one of whom was the niece’s father. He said my husband should get the house appraised in case it was worth more money.

This is upsetting my husband, who would love to sell to his niece. The two brothers already have stopped speaking to him, and before this is all over, the family may fall apart. What is your take? All in the Family Dear Family: When parents die, there is often fallout between siblings over money. But many times the real issue is the perception that one sibling was loved more than another. If the niece is offering a fair price for the house and your husband wants to sell to her, he should do so.