Posted on 02/05/2026 3:59:48 AM PST by where's_the_Outrage?
Isabella and Lorenzo are siblings who have faced financial difficulties throughout adulthood. Both are in their 30s — Isabella’s a divorced mom of three, Lorenzo’s a married father of two — and they’re barely making ends meet. Let’s say they have only a few thousand dollars in savings between them.
She inherited a home and a substantial amount of money when her own mother died, making her a multi-millionaire, and she was also the beneficiary of a life insurance policy when her husband (Isabella and Lorenzo’s father) passed away five years ago. After her husband died, the mother sold the family home, which had greatly appreciated in value since they bought it 40 years ago.
That’s why Isabella was shocked when, on a recent phone call, her mother told her that she planned to spend every cent she had before she died — leaving nothing in her will to her two children. Her mother said she wanted to enjoy her golden years to the fullest and had crafted a “die with zero” budget that would ensure she spent all her money.
Isabella thinks their mom is being selfish, while Lorenzo is worried she’s being reckless. Should the siblings confront their mother about her retirement plans?
Some billionaires have famously declared that they won’t leave their substantial fortune to their children.
Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of the late Steve Jobs, intends to pass on her estimated $14.9 billion to charity. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have set up the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for research and intend to give 99% of their Meta shares away. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have also famously stated that their children should make their own way in the world, with Gates noting, “leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
yep, most parents are about 20 years older than their kids...
so if your parent lives to 90.. you wouldn’t get squat until you are 70 to begin with! It is a TERRIBLE idea
Yes, but you can do that in the home. Indians do it and so do Asian families and they are outperforming economically white families. They are buying up homes, while white children are not buying homes in the same numbers.
Im not arguing against independence, but a child can be independent within the home by being responsible, while building up wealth before he does become independent.
Any sensible (non-democrat) parent can see what the mother is doing here.
And I’m not a parent.
It’s Mom’s money. She gets to decide.
The answer is somewhere in the middle here. Perhaps somewhat in the mom’s direction. But planning to die with zero is cruel to her kids and grandkids. She needs to remember that her money came from inheritance and life insurance.
While she has the right, the mother seems devoid of motherly instinct and compassion.
“I’m busy spending my children’s inheritance” is one of my favorite bumper stickers! That and the biker I saw with a t-shirt that said…”If you can read this the bitch fell off”
“Biblically and historically, before the welfare state, children were supposed to help parents in old age!”
That’s what my siblings and I did — to the max. Poor country preacher didn’t have much when he died.
“One does not ‘deserve’ an inheritance, one earns an inheritance.”
One can also earn a dis-inheritance.
“the daughter gets a reality check.”
That might be the most valuable education she’ll get in this day and age. It’ll help her cope with life in the real world.
Plus, DJT paid his father back.
Wow. Salt of the Earth people then.
Bkmk
When we got married my wife was working 12+ hours a day in her internet shop that I paid for. We I moved in with her she got 2 workers and they we just managed the store. Worked well until we moved to the USA and the sister tanked the store.
Already have the daughter prepped that when she turns 14 to work as a boat bunny pumping gas for boats near our house, minimum wage but great tips. Unfortunately I’ll probably be spending the day there watching over her, but walking distance to our house.
Set up a trust fund for her.
What she does with the money is hers to do and aside from raising her responsibly, there’s not much more you can do.
We are currently helping out kids now on occasion in dribs and drabs as opposed to giving them all a mass inheritance they might end up blowing.
They need it now and there’s less of a temptation to be irresponsible knowing the amount is limited.
As far as the thread, not enough info on the kids to know why the mom is making her decision.
The 60 million trump inherited from his Dad was helpful.
You have no right to an inheritance.
Grow up and make your own millions.
It isn’t all that hard.
Work.
Save.
Invest.
Next question!
It depends, some children are capable of taking an inheritance and using it as seed money to do useful things, like growing a business and hiring thousands. Small business is the engine of our economy, so I leave this up to to the parents decision, it's their money.
Mom is making assumptions about knowing when she is going to die.
Short answer...NO
I’m an estate planning and Probate Lawyer. I tell clients who are agonizing over what to do to be fair to their kids that it’s their money and they can do whatever they want with it. None of their kids are entitled to anything. If they wish to exercise largesse, that’s fine. but when their kids start complaining before their parents have even died, it’s time to start looking at charities.
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