Katharina Buczek
When this 24-year-old woman was just 14, her whole life was uprooted. Her dad decided to sell both his business and their home. Then, he relocated her family from a big city to a new small town.
Her grandfather passed away not long afterward, too. So, her mom had to travel out of the country to grieve the loss.
And while her mom was away, her dad decided to send her mom a photo of another, larger home that he also decided to buy without even asking her.
At that point, her dad claimed the home was paid for entirely upfront– meaning there would be no mortgage.
So, her mom allowed her dad to sign on her behalf. Afterward, her parents also began investing in a company in Africa.
Once they made those investments, her dad wound up convincing her mom to “retire” on their savings for a few years or until their business picked up.
Then, her dad proceeded to fly back and forth on business trips to Africa. However, she later learned that these business trips were filled with secrets.
While her dad was in Africa over the years, he wound up having three children. On top of that, it turned out that her dad never actually paid cash for their home. Instead, it was really bought under a mortgage– which her mom only discovered years later.
“The previous business was sold for $1.5 million, our house for just under $700,000, and the new house was worth about $255,000. So, you do the math,” she said.
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