'My parents won't lend me £10k but helped my brother': When families play financial favourites

Do your parents have a favourite child and give them more money, gifts or help?

Financial favouritism can cause jealousy and resentment long into adulthood and, in some cases, even spark legal disputes after a parent dies. But experts say there are strategies that can help you avoid it.

John says his parents, who have always supported his younger brother, recently refused to lend him £10,000 towards a house deposit after he broke up with his partner.

This was despite the money being "well within their financial grasp", he says.

His parents had previously given his brother a deposit to buy a home and subsidised his living expenses.

John, 47, whose real name we have changed, says he was viewed as the more academic one growing up and expected to stand on his "own two feet" financially, while his brother, 42, struggled to make his way in the world and was "coddled".

He says the favouritism has made him believe "the needs of others take precedence over my own", leaving him feeling "isolated" and affecting friendships and romantic relationships.

Forums like Mumsnet and Reddit , external are full of posts complaining about siblings being shown preferential treatment regarding money.