An unexpected windfall changed my life this week. Many Gen Xers are not so lucky

May 15, 2026 — 11:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Thursday just before 6am. Woke being squashed by three dogs, our Sally and two guest Cavoodles. Such gorgeous, welcome weight, two years to the day since our old warrior Maggie died in our arms to Learn to Fly.

Chris and I took the risk that watching the 39-second video taken on Maggie’s final walk would be a good thing, and it was, an instant rush of love that still breaks me.

A few hours later, Chris got an email from a superannuation company. Someone who passed away named him their sole beneficiary. A lump sum, enough to pay off our mortgage with change, would be deposited soon in his nominated account.

I cried. Rivers. The synchronicity of a life-changing whack of money landing and Maggie’s anniversary wasn’t lost on me. Although I am the woman who believed for ages, kinda still do, that my dog was sending messages from beyond the grave via commercial radio.

During the zillion times Chris and I war-gamed finances – boosted one year by redundancy,........

© The Sydney Morning Herald