To think £30k is a really nice windfall?

[OrangePowder]

Friend has inherited from his aunt.

She had no children, but was married to a man with one son. Her husband predeceased her but it was always understood that she would make provision for his son in her will. Which she has done.

Friend and his sister, as the closest relatives of the woman were also told that they would inherit. They were expecting 50% of the estate (c. £300k) between them.

In the event aunt has left 50% to the step son (who she raised as her own) and the remaining 50% is split 5 ways, between her nephew, his sister and three others she felt had helped her a lot during her life.

My friend is furious that he was misled and doesn't seem to understand that to have £30k land in your lap is huge. FWIW he has parents in their late 80s who are very well off so can expect a substantial inheritance there too.

I wouldn' t expect to inherit anything from an aunt (or anyone really) so to me £30k would be amazing.

Personally, I think the step son has a good case to expect that it all went to him, although I understand this isn't what would have happened if she hadn't left a will.

I can understand his disappointment but it sounds as though lots of assumptions were made. You are right Op, £30k is a good amount of money.

He’s being ridiculous. If he thinks it’s so measly why doesn’t he give it straight to a donkey sanctuary.

I hate this attitude. Nobody deserves an inheritance

What made him think he would inherit £150000?
But yes, £30000 is lovely to have. Although if he was expecting 5 times that much I can see why he’s displeased. But there’s nothing he can do so he may just enjoy what he did get.

He expected to share £150k with his sister. I think because aunt had told everyone it would be split between her step son and niece and nephew.

I'd be thrilled to receive 30k from anywhere. Your friend wasnt entitled to anything so the money was a gift - a generous one - and he should be grateful. How much care and support did he give his aunt? Unless there is a big drip feed where he was the only person who saw her, and met all her care needs in later life then he is being very entitled.

Yes its a lot. I can understand disappointment if you were expecting to get £150k and got £30k but I think he is unreasonable to be angry or to make his feelings public.

FWIW it makes perfect sense that she left the majority to her step son, and left some to friends who helped her during her life rather than her nephew just because he is related. It doesn't sound like the nephew was particularly close to the aunt, didn't help her in old age or anything like that. So why would he be entitled to her money.

TBF he did do a lot for her in her last years, had power of attorney and was her go to person for any admin help, although I think others gave more practical help around the house etc. She was quite a demanding difficult woman, hard to like.

Nobody has a right to an inheritance and he absolutely should be grateful for the £30k (although we've probably all reacted badly to a disappointment, so give him time to get over the initial shock).

However, £30k is not "huge" in the way that £150k is. It's not enough for a deposit on a house, for example, which could be what someone in that situation was hoping for.

A step-son she raised should take priority over niblings.

Unless the step-son was awful to her?

The inheritance effectively has been split, the nephew just doesn't like the split. He should have asked for specifics.

£30k is a nice amount and no, one shouldn't complain but sometimes people do have a habit of lying about their wills - I'm not sure why.

Multiple times I witnessed my husband's grandmother say "you're well looked after in my will" - unpromoted I might add, she'd just chuck it into conversation over dinner. He received absolutely nothing 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

My family's finances are such that I won't inherit or otherwise be gifted a penny from anyone, so the thought of being ungrateful for £30K is
He needs a word with himself.

However, £30k is not "huge" in the way that £150k is. It's not enough for a deposit on a house, for example, which could be what someone in that situation was hoping for.

It's not to be sneezed at as a deposit on a house!

It's not enough for a deposit on a house, for example,

Surely these depends where you are buying?! London no, where I live definitely

Your friend sounds incredibly ungrateful and very presumptuous about what he should be entitled to. He should be thankful for what he has been gifted so generously and not go wondering about what was said previously etc especially considering he thought his aunt was so difficult to like.

OP says he was expecting £75k, not £150k.

The £300k is the house, so 10% makes a deposit

honeygirlz

A step-son she raised should take priority over niblings.“

I want a nibling, sounds very sweet

Depends why he was expecting it imo. If he was told “I’m leaving everything to you and Mary” and then things unfolded as they did I can understand his disappointment. Still - he’ll have £30k more than he had the day before, and it’s still plenty of money.

So the nephews is pissed off he and sister got £30k instead of a possible £150k

Even tho the stepson should get £150 as half of estate

I would love 30k

@Zgran

honeygirlz

A step-son she raised should take priority over niblings.“

I want a nibling, sounds very sweet

I love it!

£30k is huge. It’s stamp duty and costs and movers and some left over. Or it’s a massive financial cushion. It’s an entire stocks & shares isa annual limit with another £10k leftover. It’s a massive pension boost.

It’s also nothing he was ever entitled to, it’s a gift, and it’s the amount the aunt chose to leave. If she’d wanted him to have £75k, she’d have left him £75k. She didn’t. And where is the mourning her in all this? He should be sad and grateful, not furious.

£30,000 is a huge windfall and he's very lucky. The will seems to have been drawn up fairly.

But you also said that the aunt had said that she would be splitting the her estate evenly between her stepson, niece and nephew. If that's the case, she deliberately misled her niece and nephew so I can understand why he's angry and upset, especially as he seems to have done a lot for her. She should have said that she had changed her mind about the provisions that she had made in her will.

@OrangePowder

The £300k is the house, so 10% makes a deposit

Except that's not how mortgages work!

It's only a deposit for a £300K house if he earns £60K given how lending works!