Three brother spent different amount of money on their recent vacation. matt spent $25 less than todd. jeff spent 3 times as much as matt. how much spend if they spent a total of $275

We can have different variables to represent each brother (there can be different variations and ways to solve, but I'll do it my way).

Matt=m
Jeff=3m
Todd=m+25

Matt                                  Jeff                   Todd
m+3m+(m+25)=275         3(50)                 50+25
             5m+25=275         =150                 =75
                   5m=250
                     m=50

Matt spent $50, Jeff spent $150 and Todd spent $75

Check:
50+150+75
=$225

Yes, two vertical lines can be complementary