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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that many people would wonder/fantasise about this potential inheritance?

184 replies

Tiltedandwilted · 27/12/2022 18:15

Am posting for some external perspective.

DH and I come from very different families in terms of attitudes to money, my family are very open about money, I’ve always known what was in my parents wills, my grandparents wills, when my grandfather came into some money we had a family get together to discuss who was getting what in terms of my cousins and I etc.

DHs family are much more old fashioned and finances are akin to a state secret.

Now here is where the AIBU comes into play, DHs grandparents are extremely wealthy, they don’t ‘act’ it, there are small tells ( e.g.his grandfather if he pays for lunch opens his wallet and there is often £5k of cash in there!) but they don’t live in a mansion or eat caviar, although they definitely could afford to if they wanted. If you knew them you’d think upper middle class maybe, but not wealthy.

We get snippets of information as DHs grandfather talks to him about investments from time to time, they have ‘several’ BVIs, to make offshore accounts worthwhile you need millions in there, let alone to justify multiple of them. His work pension requires a team of accountants to manage it efficiently and they were approached a few months ago by one of their financial advisers to buy 25 luxury apartments in London, DH manages London properties so his grandfather asked him about it (only way we know this bit)

So although no one in the family knows how much there is, we know there is a lot (DH was also asked to look over the paperwork when his grandfather sold his last company and it sold for £15 million in 2007, so that’s the ‘minimum’ that is there, but he had 22 other companies throughout his lifetime and sold them all for nice amounts apparently over the course of the 90’s)

AIBU to think it’s only normal to wonder, if not fantasise about this when you know there is a potentially life changing amount of money out there that could be left to grand children (and by extension you)

Obviously the obligatory we know it’s their money, we don’t have a right to any of it and they might leave it all to a cat sanctuary, but I don’t think I ABU to wonder about it, like when people dream about winning the lottery, if it was a couple of hundred grand I’d not think about it, but I can’t imagine many people, knowing there could be tens of millions+ left to their husband/wife that wouldn’t think about it from time to time.

DH thinks it’s morbid to think about it at all and doesn’t care one way or another, as although they are well off they are somewhat tight with their cash and seem to hoard it over using it to support their family, so doesn’t pay it much attention.

YABU - I’d not pay any attention to the fact my family could be in for a windfall

YANBU - of course I’d have the odd dream about what fancy car I’d buy with all that money

OP posts:
AnnieFarmer · 27/12/2022 22:59

YABU - I’d not pay any attention to the fact my family could be in for a windfall

Because this isn’t a ‘windfall’ (or a ‘lottery win’). It’s a potential inheritance; meaning your DHs grandparents will have died. Of course your DH doesn’t want to think about it. It’s very personal.

Focus on enjoying time with your relatives while they are alive and healthy.

ErrolTheDragon · 27/12/2022 23:02

It'll all be tied up in trusts so no one gets a 'windfall' - including the taxman.

Flamingowalker · 27/12/2022 23:07

I do not fantasise about inheritance as I think it is vile to do so.

My grandfather sounds like your DH's. He wasn't a social climber. He lived a very modest life. He was clever, measured and intelligent. He had a good judge of character, but was not judgemental.

He would be wise to you.

Myfinalthoughtsonthisissue · 27/12/2022 23:38

There's a big difference between allowing yourself to have a little daydream and having some kind of expectation or entitlement. I think you're doing the former and I think lots of people would be tempted to do the same. It's not money grabbing to think in hypothetical terms at all!

Reality is, you know this is not 'yours' and that every penny could go to a donkey sanctuary but sometimes on tough days it's nice to think what you would do if you were fortunate enough to come into a large sum of money.

There's no possibility of that for me (unless I've been left something in the Will of a wealthy person I know nothing about!) but sometimes I change the max amounts on Rightmove just to see what I could get if I suddenly came into a million quid.

VladmirsPoutine · 27/12/2022 23:45

What if your husband divorces you before he becomes a millionaire on inheritance?

Transferwaiting · 27/12/2022 23:46

Yabu - dh's family have assets worth around 5 million. My extended family are in the 10's (not immediate family). Anything could happen and I have no expectation that we would get anything from either. Certainly the loss of either of dh's parents will be an awful blow but his Nan lived until 92 so hopefully they'll be around for a while yet (late 60's). I would also rather they got to enjoy their money whilst they still can. It's not my business and I don't think about it.

Numberunknown · 28/12/2022 00:47

A couple of details to consider -
any inheritance your husband receives is not a family inheritance it’s personal inheritance
the 7 years after a gift of value is given would have a tapered relief should the giver die before the 7 years , any decent accountant / financial advisor would have advised this already

a very unpleasant thread

Schnooze · 28/12/2022 00:57

What happens if he leaves it all to his wife who then leaves it to her relatives?

GnomeDePlume · 29/12/2022 13:37

I find the prissyness around inheritance very strange. I am very open with my adult DCs about how my estate is left.

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