Seems your forgetting the part about where his parents provided him with a place to live, food, and security while he got the education that allowed him to win a million-dollar prize. Not to mention the fact that they probably paid for his tuition, textbooks, and anything else he needed to learn mathematics. According to Wikipedia: "his early mathematical education occurred at the Leningrad Secondary School #239, a specialized school with advanced mathematics and physics programs. In 1982 [16 years old], as a member of the USSR team competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad, an international competition for high school students, he won a gold medal, achieving a perfect score." You don't get to do all that as a kid without the monetary support of your parents. I wonder if Perelman's parents had forced him to work in a factory instead of enrolling him in advanced mathematics programs, would he have achieved the same results?
Do the parents deserve a comfortable retirement for their efforts? I say yes. I say every parent that supports the education of their children does. It's just that most kids don't have a million dollars lying around that they can give to their parents. Personally I think it's unconscionable not to secure the financial stability of your family given the opportunity. If anything, just keep the money lying around for medical expenses and college tuition. Perelman should have used the money to support his parents and lay the groundwork for the educational success of his kids. I can't think of an ethical justification not to do so.
Public education is free in the United States too if your parents or guardian pay taxes. Whether the parents directly pay for tuition or not is not really the main thrust of my argument. The point is that supportive parents are critical for the academic success of children. If (when) I had the opportunity to ensure my parents would never have to worry about their mortgage or an unexpected medical bill I would take it. I'd send them on a nice vacation too while I was at it. Personally I think it's the least you can do in return for having supportive parents.
Of course, there's a possibility that Perelman's parents were not supportive. But in my experience the majority of gifted children have supportive parents.
Do the parents deserve a comfortable retirement for their efforts? I say yes. I say every parent that supports the education of their children does. It's just that most kids don't have a million dollars lying around that they can give to their parents. Personally I think it's unconscionable not to secure the financial stability of your family given the opportunity. If anything, just keep the money lying around for medical expenses and college tuition. Perelman should have used the money to support his parents and lay the groundwork for the educational success of his kids. I can't think of an ethical justification not to do so.