I'm spending your inheritance

Cash and other assets, what an incredibly superficial idea of what you leave behind when you pass on.

If all a family member is concerned about when you die is how much wealth you leave behind, that's an extremely shallow person that has no consideration for the true depth of your life's legacy. Pathetic really because even if they did score some inheritance, their loss would still be tremendous.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

You can't eat a non cash legacy.

But you did have to add the caveat "If all a family member is concerned about" ... what happenes when cash and other assets are one of multiple things a family member cares about?

a reply to: DanDanDat

There are many things people leave behind as their legacy. There are genetic traits passed on to offspring, personal and professional influences in other people's lives, works and projects that live on after they pass away, and many other things too numerous to mention.

Vultures are in every family, some will even land and begin picking at the body before it's dead. IMO those type of people can choke on every maggot ridden mouthful.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Sure that's all true. But it doesn't really speak to the topic.

The topic is about monetary inheritance and how people feel about leaving it to their next of kin. It doesn't preclude the importance of other types of inheritance.

a reply to: DanDanDat

I see your point of course Dan, we must stay the course and on the topic of creating an inheritance to help our surviving relatives. However, in my personal experience, and from stories of other people's experiences I've heard, the assets rarely make it to the intended beneficiaries regardless of a will and what may be in it.

The only inheritance I actually got that was meant for me was from my Grandmother who gave it to me while she was still alive and my great Aunt who was loaded and obviously had a good trustee for the will and her estate. I did get a little from my Dad, through a life insurance policy, but that was the only thing his last wife couldn't violate like she did his will and the trust fund to bury him in the family plot (that now has an empty grave with his marker on it).

My step dad's parents got put into a nursing home by his brother that got power of attorney by tricking his father. His brother and his wife then took everything including the family farm, the will meant nothing when they made their move.

I got a story like that for just about everyone in my family that had a will and passed away. The circling vultures are always waiting, planning, and ready to pounce on their oldest relatives at the first opportunity.

Best advice I'd have is to give while you're still alive and can make sure the people you want to get it really do get it. Put it in their hands before it gets stolen from your corpse.