<prompt> Human: Many of us here have people important to our lives who, for one reason or another, have less financial stability than we do. I think the common advice here is Dont lend money youd like to have returned and I completely agree with that-- and I was wondering what additional factors pfers take into account.What are your rules for how much financial support e.g. percent of your own savingsetc you are willing to provide?Do you have rules for the personality type of the person you are lending to e.g. must be hardworking situation must be temporary?What categories of expenses are you most willing or unwilling to help with?Stories and other general thoughts, opinions, etc. welcome.  <response>: My SO and I have a firm policy that we dont expect money we lend to be returned. If we cant live without it, we dont lend it. Money for family and friends is not in our financial planning right now. Weve had the conversation with our parents about what they expect from us, financially speaking, as they age. Right now, the answer is nothing. So, generally speaking, we dont lend money, but we have in past for a good cause. For instance, we gave my SIL a few hundred dollars when she was divorcing her abusive husband. We put the money in a joint account that all three of us had access to. She could use the money at her discretion, and we could see how the money was handled. We never expected that money to be returned, and we were happy to part with it to keep her and her kids safe. If we had it to do over again, we would lend her the money in a heart beat. And, we would be willing to part with a few hundred dollars for a similar future emergency for a close friend or family member. 