<prompt> Human: I dont know if this is really a rpf question but I dont know where else to ask. I have a very distant relationship with my father, and unfortunately a big part of that has to do with money. My parents got divorced when I was young, and my father paid a small amount of child support but made no effort beyond that to ensure that we were cared for. We often couldnt afford food or basic necessities. My father contributed 0 to my college education.As far as I know, my father has been continuously employed for his entire adult life at a middle class salary, at least 50k and up to 100k.When I was young he used to say that he was saving up for a house, then he bought the house. Then he said he was saving up for retirement, and he retired at 55. Whenever I was in a desperate financial situation, eg stranded on the side of the road with a broken down car, and asked him for money, he said that someday he would be able to help, but not now. He wouldnt even buy a plane ticket to see his mother when his father died because he said he couldnt afford it.I recently learned that, despite having retired at 55, my father has taken a part-time job as a cashier at a gas station. He works the overnight shift.I am so fucking confused. I know for sure that he has always had a job with a reasonable salary. I know for sure that he was a frugal person -- too frugal to buy food for his kids. He did take his second wife on some nice vacations though. Is it really possible that despite all of this, he really doesnt have enough money to retire on? Could he be in such dire straits that he needs a minimum wage job to survive? Or is he some kind of insane money hoarder? I guess the obvious thing to do would be to ask him, but our relationship is very strained, especially around the money issue. So I am wondering if anyone out there has any guesses or possible explanations for this situation.  <response>: Yes, it is possible. Just because he has always had a job and retired early doesnt mean he put the money in the best place or didnt budget enough to last him as long as he thought it would.It is also entirely possible that he is just bored and want something to do, which is why he took a part time minimum wage job. 