To think it’s unfair that some people get inheritance while others start with nothing?

We had next to nothing left to us by our parents. We have made our own money and we will leave a lot to our DC. I don't feel bitter about that at all. Hope that helps.

Heard it all now 🙄

I’ve never heard anything more miserly and pathetic. I’m not expecting to receive any inheritance, whereas many friends are already benefiting from chunks of money from grandparents or parents to help them on the housing ladder, and there’ll be more when they are bereaved. I’m happy for them, and proud of myself for getting to where I am on my own. I plan that one day I’ll be able to provide for my kids and grandkids.

You should focus less on being jealous and grabby, and make more effort to build up your own capital so you can leave your children something.

Sorry OP but what I had to loose for my inheritance was too great a cost to me. My dad always said he was worth more dead than alive and he was! He wanted to help us and look after us when he had gone . Yes inheritance is lovely but I would swap every penny for 5 more minutes with my dad.

I would rather have my loved ones but sadly all I have is a small inheritance.

Nice of you to post and run though @ThisCandidCritic. Hopefully you are doing something worthwhile that benefits society?!

I’d find a way to provide for my children, by fair means or foul. I imagine I’d not be alone in my determination.

Your dc will do better though in an environment where they get paid a good salary for their job and where housing costs aren't so disproportionate.

I don’t understand why people don’t get angrier about it??

I think people worry about getting left behind & it's wrapped up with aspiration. People don't vote for things that penalise what they aspire to be not realising that they just move the goalposts further away from them.

I haven't read the whole thread so apologise if the point has already been made.

The difficulty with inheritance at the moment is that it's becoming more and more difficult to access the basic of adult life - a secure home - without parental wealth, whether that comes in the form of lifetime gifts or inheritance.

When your normal averagely hard working person could afford a home in an OK area then maybe they didn't resent the inheritance that gave their friend a slightly better home. It's not the same when the inheritance is making the difference between working for nothing more than to make a landlord rich and being able to live a proper adult life with a secure home. People are right to resent that.

I sometimes wonder how as a society we ever recover from all the bad decisions we've made over the years - the destruction of social housing (and now affordable housing in general), austerity, Brexit.... There are things that annoy me about the current govt. But God, I wouldn't even know how to start fixing things.

Hate this "never claimed benefit". Not a boast. Like saying "my kid had 100% attendance record". Cool, you aren't sick. Well done. The Welfare State was created to support people and denigrating it just sickens me.

I inherited nothing. I've worked hard and made sacrifices and sensible decisions all so my children could be helped financially. Unfair - I don't think so. I've paid my taxes, they will pay inheritance tax and my Will on death will be open to public scrutiny. What is unfair is some people dodging taxes, some being 'excused' inheritance tax and some being allowed to have their wills kept secret! Yes - Royal Family and Farmers - looking at you.

All of this.
Unbelievable that people are talking about how awful it is to receive and bestow their own inheritances when the option is there to give away all your own money. Nobody is forcing you to keep it!

YANBU at all. I'd prefer it to be banned for anything significant like property. But you'll see plenty of people here think it's an incentive to "work hard" and some kind of basic human right, rather than just entrenched luck and privilege, so I'm sure things will never change.

Social housing isn’t subsidised by anyone.

if we didn’t think we could leave any money to our children we would have stopped working much earlier in our lives. If everyone did this it would not be great for the economy.

I’d find a way to provide for my children, by fair means or foul. I imagine I’d not be alone in my determination.
Are you condoning outright thievery by the government and expecting the population to bow down to this?
Madness.

It’s totally unfair. And I expect a large inheritance. I have done nothing to earn it.. my parents inherited significant amount too.. they also did nothing to earn it. It’s just perpetuates inequalities.. helps keep the rich rich. My kids will be given housing deposits from any inheritance we get. Life is so unfair.. I don’t understand why people don’t get angrier about it??

How you feel about the lottery OP?

🤦🏻‍♀️

Of course it's unfair, but life is innately unfair. Do you have children? I can't have them. That's unfair. Do you have a serious illness. I do. Unfair. I wasn't born in a war torn country thought. Or the slums. People there would likely argue their lives are unfair compared to mine. All you can do is change what you can and advocate for equality as best you can.

How you feel about the lottery OP?

You can figure it out without much trouble @alwaysontheloo (great user name!) round our way. We live in a part of London where receptionists and gardeners our age simply can’t afford to live without inheritance unless they’re earning loads. I’m no Sherlock but it’s pretty obvious! My neighbours are also quite honest about where the money came from after a few pints down the pub. It’s quite mad that they get 30 hours childcare while living in multi million quid houses without mortgages.

I assume you have a will that says ALL YOU OWN must be given to HMRC when you die? Including sentimental items etc.
If not then you are a hypocrite, as you only want other people's stuff to go to HMRC and not your own.

I have to disagree. It’s not wrong. As long as the money has been taxed accordingly before it was left - then it’s not wrong. If you have money to leave your children why should they be punished as long as you paid your taxes before it gets to them?

Life's unfair.
Some people have good health, some people have bad health, some get things handed to them some have no help at all.
The government can tinker and try to even things up a bit but things are inherently unfair.
The best thing we can do is not watch other people over our shoulders. Comparison leads to resentment.
We can of course vote for politicians who veer towards increasing fairness rather than putting more money into the hands of the advantaged at the expense of the disadvantaged.
P.S. the "advantaged" aren't people with small bungalows and 3 bedroomed semis.

@User28473 we don't all think that.

I can't abide the unshakable belief of the middle classes that someone else 'working hard' means they deserve their inheritance. Only a middle or upper class person doesn't realise that working class people work the hardest, thankless jobs for a pittance and little or nothing to leave to their families to break the cycle. I am definitely in favour of high taxes on inheritance.