How much should I repay my father?

The_Watersweeper

Hi. In March 2001 I was offered some shares in my company for a minimum amount of £5,000. I only had £1,000 at the time but, as I thought it would be an interesting investment, my father said he would invest £4,000. The shares were bought in my name, hoping to be able to sell them for a better price after 3-5 years once the company went to the market. Over 6 years have passed and this hasn't happened and I can't find a buyer for the shares. My father has asked when the situation is likely to change but I begin to think that it won't for at least another couple of years. He hasn't asked me to return the money he invested but I feel guilty about having recommended this so have decided to consider the £4,000 he invested as if it had been a loan to me instead of a risky investment). If I pay him this money back, the shares will be mine along with the risk of losing the money. The question is, how much should I offer him as added interest on this "loan" after all this time? Is there some kind of table I can refer to? Thank you in advance for any information you can give me.

sniperpenguin

Be honest with him. If you feel guilty let him know so and offer to return his investment of £4K, or let him ride out the investment with you whatever the outcome.

He is old / mature enough to make his own decisions, otherwise he wouldnt have offered the £4K in the first place.

The_Watersweeper

Thanks for replying so quickly Sniperpenguin. You´re right of course. However, as he did make a comment some time back about the fact that the money would have been much better in a bank, I just wanted to be better informed about interest amounts before bringing up the subject. I also don´t want to be unfair by offering to return an unrealistic amount but on the other hand I´m not so well off that I can just pay out too much extra just to keep the family happy.