When I came out as a gay man, my first two boyfriends were older and they believed that because of my youthful look, they wanted to take care of me because it made them feel secure about the relationship. In fact, I was working in a Fortune 500 company during the first relationship and he insisted that I quit my job because he wanted to take care of me. The second boyfriend was the same as well. Both of these guys were known in the media/entertainment industry and they were both closeted gay men who had appeal to a large female audience. Therefore, discretion was of an important factor to both of them.
However, the third guy I got with was my boss at huge corporation that is nationally known. I had mentioned this in one of my earlier post. He was well educated and although he always did nice things for me, he encouraged me to be all that I can be. He saw potential in me that I did not at that time. But he was also a protector and was very adamant about protecting me to the up most because I was recognized as his "Baby Boy".
With that being said, I've become very independent and although I don't mind being there emotionally, physically and financially for someone that I truly care for, however, I would encouraged my partner to become his own individual and help him focus on his strengths.