I have a $15 million estate and a year left to live. My son is going to be furious about my plans for the money.

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 just received a terminal cancer diagnosis and have perhaps a year left to live—if I am fortunate. While devastating, it has caused me to take stock of who and what have been important in my life.

I have two children, a son, “Louis,” and a daughter, “Jenny.” Jenny has always been the one who has made the effort to visit and call regularly. Her kids (now in college) have done the same, and have always been very prompt in sending thank-you notes and expressing gratitude for gifts and making time to call or FaceTime. Louis, on the other hand—that’s a different story.

He has seldom reached out over the years, unless it was to request money or when he and his wife needed a free babysitter for their daughter when she was young. His wife never acknowledged gifts and was never interested in spending time with me; I even paid for her college tuition and her wedding to Louis, and never so much as received a “thank you”.

After expenses, my estate will be around $15 million.  I have decided to leave 60 percent of it to Jenny with the remaining 40 percent to be divided between her two children.  My attorney has made the necessary changes to my will, so everything has been arranged.  It is my intention for my kids to find out after I am gone. Knowing Louis, he is going to be furious when he learns he isn’t getting anything. I hate the thought of leaving Jenny to deal with her brother’s wrath, but I want to make the most of whatever time I have left rather than spend it engaged in endless arguments with my son.  Is this a selfish thing to do on my part?

—Seeing Things Clearly

Dear Seeing Things,

I’m so sorry about your terminal cancer diagnosis. At this point, I don’t think it’s a matter of selfishness. It sounds like you’re trying to honor the relationships in your life as they are, which is totally valid. It’s only natural to want your legacy to show appreciation for the people who consistently showed up in your life.

You mentioned that Louis and his family have rarely made an effort to connect with you unless there was something they needed, while Jenny and her kids have shown you consistent care and gratitude over the years. Wanting to acknowledge that difference makes sense. But one thing to consider is Louis’s daughter. Should she be cut out of the will entirely because of the actions of her parents? This decision is yours to make, and only you can know what feels fair and aligned with your values.

That aside, you raise an important point about how all of this might affect Jenny after you pass. Are you willing to talk with her and see how she feels about the arrangement? She clearly cares about you deeply and would likely understand that you don’t want to spend your final months embroiled in conflict. If that conversation feels too heavy, even sending her a note giving her a heads-up and explaining your reasoning could help her feel supported if there’s any backlash later on.

It also sounds like you’ve already put things in place legally, but if you haven’t already created a trust, that can be a helpful tool. A trust can make the transition smoother and reduce the likelihood of disputes during the probate process, especially if you foresee conflict or tension between your children.

Most importantly, I want to underscore your closing sentiment: this is a time to focus on what brings you peace, meaning, and connection. You’ve done the hard work of making decisions that feel right to you. Now, I hope you can spend your time not thinking not about money, but focused on love, reflection, and the things that matter to you the most.

Dear Pay Dirt,

I’m a 30-ish year old with a stupid amount of money in my savings account—like, $100,000. I’ve gotten smarter about where I put my income: I’m maxing out my Roth IRA contributions and I bond purchases, which has slowed the growth of my savings account almost to a crawl.

But with all of this *waves hands in the air in the vague direction of the economy* going down, where should I put the rest of that money? More context: I’m a renter but might want to buy a house in the next 3-to-5 years. I get a good pension through my job, and I plan to be in that job for decades and have no real fear of losing that job.

—Money Under the Mattress

Dear Mattress Money,

First of all, congrats! It sounds like you’ve made some smart financial moves, and having a pension in the mix puts you in an even better long-term financial position.

So now what? While the stock market looks a little bleak right now (along with, well, pretty much everything else), it’s important to remember that the market has always recovered, and what’s more, downturns are often when long-term investors make their gains. “Buy low, sell high” is easier said than done, but you’re in a rare spot where that timeline may actually work in your favor. If your house-buying time frame is closer to five years—minimizing the risk of a downturn eating up the money you currently have for a down-payment— putting a portion of your savings in a brokerage account (here’s an overview of Vanguard’s and here’s an overview of Fidelity’s) could help your money grow more than it would in a traditional savings account.

The key here is to diversify. Your $100,000 is a lot of money to put in an investment account, and you might not want to put your whole house fund at risk. Consider keeping a chunk of it in a high-yield savings account (HYSA) or even short-term CDs, which lock up your money for several months or a couple years in exchange for a good interest rate, to stay liquid and stable. You’ll want to make sure you have an emergency fund to use in the event that you lose your job or have a sudden large expense. A HYSA is a good spot to park that emergency money, or you could put it in a no-penalty CD which might offer a lower rate vs a traditional CD, but allows you to get the balance (plus any interest accrued) back ahead of schedule if you need it.

Ultimately, think about what aligns with your goals and timeline. If you’re afraid of the risk (and who could blame you right now?), a more conservative approach might feel right—a tiny bit in the market, and the rest in a HYSA, for example. Either way, the goal is to make your money work for you. From what you’ve shared, neither option—investing or saving traditionally—sounds like a bad one.

—Kristin