In and amongst the various threads discussing Sharon, someone's brought up how she "should" be rich this time around and wonders why she isn't.
That's a sixty thousand dollar question, but it could easily be answered if TPTB had a research department capable enough and willing enough to muscle in a little elbow grease and do some research.
When Sharon made her initial return, back in late 2001, she'd bought the Vic, but not without financing from Steve Owen, who was the silent partner in the deal. Why? Because Sharon was broke. We found this out, when she left at Christmas 2001 (the actress was previously contracted to do pantomime) and returned early in 2002, with dead Angie in a box to bury.
She explained to Phil that Angie had succumbed to full-blown alcoholism, and Sharon literally bankrupted herself in order to fund Angie's medical bills, losing their business (a bar) and their home in the bargain.
That's entirely believeable of the time, and EastEnders used to research background thus. In the days before Obamacare, if Angie didn't have private health insurance (and with a history of alcoholism, in those days, a pre-existing health condition would preclude any insurer of granting coverage), she would have had to liquidate her assets in order to cover her health and hospitalisation expenses. It made perfect sense, in the light of this situation, that Sharon should return to Walford broke.
Now fast forward to 2012-2013.
When Sharon left the Square in 2006, she'd sold the Vic to Peggy, literally for a peppercorn price. That was a thriving business, which Peggy got on the cheap. She also sold the Watts house to Jonnie Allen and Angie's Den to Jonnie. That would have netted her, together, over a million pounds - not much over a million, but a substantial amount. She also inherited the bookies from Dennis, which Pat was paid to manage. That would also have provided some sort of income whilst in the US, but it would be subject to double taxation - here and in the US, so it would be somewhat lowered.
Take into consideration that Sharon would have had to buy a house (again) in Florida, and quite possibly, a business, and that's not much money left. It's quite plausible as well that her house would have been mortgaged. According to Ian, who visited her in 2009, she had a spread akin to South Fork, and, again, if EastEnders bothered to get up off their collective lazy arses and RESEARCH, they would have realised that from 2007 onwards, there was a severe recession in the US, caused - in part - by a massive housing bubble (cheap mortgage rates allowing people to buy houses they normally couldn't afford), and that Florida was the worst hit amongst all the states.
Put succinctly, Sharon could, conceivably have lost both her home and her business to over-financing. Even if she had a South Fork mansion, she could have been hiding her financial woes from Ian when he visited.
That would explain her return to the UK and her working in a dive, when she was found by the mysterious John (who's already moved onto Gillian Taylforth's character in HollyOaks.)
At the moment, Sharon's on a wage at the R and R and also receives a 21% share of the profits from the business. Not vast wealth, but in EELand, enough to afford rent on a small(ish) flat for her and her brat.
Simples. Just do the damned research.
That's a sixty thousand dollar question, but it could easily be answered if TPTB had a research department capable enough and willing enough to muscle in a little elbow grease and do some research.
When Sharon made her initial return, back in late 2001, she'd bought the Vic, but not without financing from Steve Owen, who was the silent partner in the deal. Why? Because Sharon was broke. We found this out, when she left at Christmas 2001 (the actress was previously contracted to do pantomime) and returned early in 2002, with dead Angie in a box to bury.
She explained to Phil that Angie had succumbed to full-blown alcoholism, and Sharon literally bankrupted herself in order to fund Angie's medical bills, losing their business (a bar) and their home in the bargain.
That's entirely believeable of the time, and EastEnders used to research background thus. In the days before Obamacare, if Angie didn't have private health insurance (and with a history of alcoholism, in those days, a pre-existing health condition would preclude any insurer of granting coverage), she would have had to liquidate her assets in order to cover her health and hospitalisation expenses. It made perfect sense, in the light of this situation, that Sharon should return to Walford broke.
Now fast forward to 2012-2013.
When Sharon left the Square in 2006, she'd sold the Vic to Peggy, literally for a peppercorn price. That was a thriving business, which Peggy got on the cheap. She also sold the Watts house to Jonnie Allen and Angie's Den to Jonnie. That would have netted her, together, over a million pounds - not much over a million, but a substantial amount. She also inherited the bookies from Dennis, which Pat was paid to manage. That would also have provided some sort of income whilst in the US, but it would be subject to double taxation - here and in the US, so it would be somewhat lowered.
Take into consideration that Sharon would have had to buy a house (again) in Florida, and quite possibly, a business, and that's not much money left. It's quite plausible as well that her house would have been mortgaged. According to Ian, who visited her in 2009, she had a spread akin to South Fork, and, again, if EastEnders bothered to get up off their collective lazy arses and RESEARCH, they would have realised that from 2007 onwards, there was a severe recession in the US, caused - in part - by a massive housing bubble (cheap mortgage rates allowing people to buy houses they normally couldn't afford), and that Florida was the worst hit amongst all the states.
Put succinctly, Sharon could, conceivably have lost both her home and her business to over-financing. Even if she had a South Fork mansion, she could have been hiding her financial woes from Ian when he visited.
That would explain her return to the UK and her working in a dive, when she was found by the mysterious John (who's already moved onto Gillian Taylforth's character in HollyOaks.)
At the moment, Sharon's on a wage at the R and R and also receives a 21% share of the profits from the business. Not vast wealth, but in EELand, enough to afford rent on a small(ish) flat for her and her brat.
Simples. Just do the damned research.
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