Proof that money problems can drive people to points of desperation that can prove fatal

Man kills himself, his children, wife and mother in-law over financial troubles.

It might be hard for some of us to pity someone who kills himself and his family because of his financial problems, especially knowing the individual was once a millionaire, but a financial crisis can drive seemingly rational people to do irrational things. Killing your wife, your children, your mother in law and yourself is pretty drastic; but money problems are nothing to take lightly. Finding yourself in a situation of having bills to pay and no money to pay them can be very difficult to rationally handle.

Karthik Rajaram’s problems were probably not as simplistic as having bills to pay and no money to pay them. After all, a former financial manager who once made $1.2 million a year certainly has a few more options than someone like myself for example. This man had so much to fall back on. Surely he could have gotten a loan. He had plenty he could have used as collateral. And he’s clearly a smart man when it comes to money. How many of us are making $1.2 million per year as a financial manager or have a big enough stock portfolio that the recent crisis on wallstreet actually affected us directly? More than likely Karthik Rajaram would have rebounded. Why did he feel that killing himself and his family was the best option?

Click here for the article about the father who killed himself, his children, his wife and mother-in-law after seeing his finances wiped out by the stock market collapse.

Image: (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)