That always pisses me off. I think an inheritance should not be something expected. If someone gets something, sure, but it should not be expected. Better to know mom and dad had a happy life, then lived miserably just so the grown kids could have more money.
I was getting my hair cut and heard a woman talking about her neighbor. She had gone on holiday, while her adult grandchildren watched the house. They started taking things out of the house to sell. The neighbor made a big to-do to keep that from happening.
I get so pissed at people who feel they are "entitled" to their parents assets. When my dad died I got his insurance money and everything he had (which wasn't much) since I am an only child. Other than his cedar trunk and pictures, I don't have much of his things left. I would prefer he was around, rather than just his things.
I totally agree.
I have know elderly parents scrimping even though they had a million in the bank b/c they didn’t want the kids to be mad they spent it.
I have known kids who, into adulthood, made choices (usually bad ones) based on the fact that eventually mom and dad would kick the bucket and bail them out financially with a big inheritance.
And the truth is that there is going to be a HUGE wealth transfer when the baby boomers start dying in large numbers. This will be the first generation that widely carried a bunch of life insurance and which often owned more than one property and which had “living trusts” containing their mutual funds etc.
But it’s such a shame to have one’s relationships colored by money. My parents always brought us up to understand that it was their money, they earned it, saved it, and they were going to spend it, usually just to provide for themselves. We wouldn’t think of having it any other way.
By the way, I meant to tell you that I’m sorry for your loss of your father.