Inheritance treated as a 'hand out'

[LittleMissUnreasonable]

I constantly see posts and hear comments about people inheriting money and it being treated like a massive privilege and an exciting thing. Almost said in jealousy sometimes. For example some of the things I've heard are;
" Well at least you'll benefit from the money"
"X is so lucky to have a head start"
"X didn't work hard, it was all inherited"
" They want do they found buying a house easy with the inheritance money"

I find all the disparaging comments about people inheriting money having it easy really disrespectful. I certainly remembered feeling disgusted when I was younger (and I lost someone very close) that people acted though I've been given a massive hand out in life. I'm pretty sure most people would want their mum/dad/partner back and don't give 2 hoots about the money.

My friend's very working class Dad in his 60s has just inherited half a million from his parents estate which significantly changes his life. He doesn't care. Just wants his parents back

I don't think you can categorically state that. I lost one parent in my 20s and one in my late 40s - both were absolutely awful experiences and I still miss them both so much.

The inheritor might not have worked for the money but the chances are someone has worked for it, probably very hard.

The wilful refusal to acknowledge what has happened to the housing market in the past few decades is not nice to witness.

Property prices in the UK have mushroomed in recent decades. Anyone who has owned a property for long enough, which is going to be a lot of the people leaving inheritances, will have seen the value rise well beyond the price they paid for it plus inflation and any money they spent maintaining and improving.

Your point about them having struggled to buy initially etc etc would be reasonable if that accounted for all or even the majority of the housing wealth being passed on. As it doesn't, it's nonsensical.

I was responding to someone complaining that inherited money isn't earned but gained from the rise in property values. I was merely pointing out that the money was earned by someone in the first place, and that people didn't just front up and pay cash for a house. Maybe read posts properly before rushing into print. Some of my friends struggled a lot when they first married at a young age, mothers giving up work to look after children (no maternity leave in those days) and then working at weekends and in the evenings to earn a bit extra so they could afford to buy a houses. They have done well for themselves, through hard work, and it's hardly their fault that property has increased so much in value in recent years.

Talking about 'fault' is ludicrous.

There isn't a moral dimension to this. It's just a statement of fact. However hard they may or may not have worked to buy the property initially, people who have owned for a while are leaving estates comprised of much more than that money in real terms.

You, and I, are wasting our time with this. According to many on MN the previous generations had an easy life, never struggled, and somehow managed to arrange for property prices to surge.

As I said, the level of envy and bitterness on MN is unpleasant to witness.

it's hardly their fault that property has increased so much in value in recent years.

It’s hardly because of hard work either. Our house is “worth” roughly four times what we paid for it. Nobody’s worked for that money.

The wilful refusal to acknowledge what has happened to the housing market in the past few decades is not nice to witness.

it's mind boggling

Yup, it’s astonishing. And I say that as a boomer.

Unfortunately, any attempt to explore this topic on the internet is invariably met by whining martyrs, strawmen and bullshitting.

It's very strange though, plenty of us who are homeowners do understand the concept of unearned equity. We only bought a few years back, so nowhere near in the position of people who have owned for decades, but the value now is not far off twice what we paid for it. It certainly isn't because we did anything to earn or deserve it. Just a function of living in a society with deranged housing policies.

I was responding to someone complaining that inherited money isn't earned but gained from the rise in property values

But that is true in many cases...

I was merely pointing out that the money was earned by someone in the first place, and that people didn't just front up and pay cash for a house.

Perhaps this sounds more of a groundbreaking revelation in your head?

They have done well for themselves, through hard work, and it's hardly their fault that property has increased so much in value in recent years.

No one is saying it's anyone's fault though. The point I am making is my parents house is now worth about 1.8m (cost 40k in the 80s). They didn't work any harder than someone who paid similar for a house but didn't see huge gains. Why is that difficult for you to understand?

I actually see why people may be bitter & resentful now as many people are saying if you inherit nothing or very little it's because your parents didn't make sacrifices or work hard which is utter rubbish.

I'm pretty sure most people would want their mum/dad/partner back and don't give 2 hoots about the money.

What does that have to do with inheritance, really? I lost my parents at 12. I didn’t get an inheritance… they didn’t have one.

An inheritance is a hand-out. It’s money someone else earned. there’s nothing wrong with that; but you may as well call a spade a spade.

You, and I, are wasting our time with this. According to many on MN the previous generations had an easy life, never struggled, and somehow managed to arrange for property prices to surge.

As I said, the level of envy and bitterness on MN is unpleasant to witness.

This is why boomers get a bad rap

TBF there are younger people who are this stupid too. It isn't just boomers and the Silent Generation who think pointing out structural advantages is some kind of personal insult, rather than simply recognition that a person purchased property at a particular time and then died at another particular time.

@PinkCherryBlossoms I genuinely don't understand. I wouldn't be able to buy now as my salary has not kept pace (has anyone's) & prices just keep going up. Why is there the need to pretend you have earned it & such moralistic language around it all?

Like many on here, you misunderstand.
No one is saying the person leaving the legacy is privileged. Its the beneficiaries who are privileged. How hard the deceased worked for their money is entirely irrelevant. You and your cousins did not work for the money. You are the privileged, not your grandparents who earned everything they had.

Except fault is almost always implied. And sometimes stated outright. That rising housing prices are the responsibility of a particular generation.
Please don't pretend that doesn't happen. I didn't blame my parents for the tenfold increase in prices 1966 to 1980. But apparently the same increase in the next forty years is all those evil boomers fault .

But apparently the same increase in the next forty years is all those evil boomers fault .

Where did anyone say that? Some of the posts on this thread are insane.

Nah, it's not. You just jump to that conclusion because you find it inconvenient when people point out facts. The reality is that for some of you, there's no way in which you'll tolerate it being pointed out that much inheritance is unearned. Hence the burning martyr vibe.

This exactly ^

Of course inheritance can come with sadness it's still horribly unfair. I have a friend who inherited £1m from an uncle in South Africa thats she hardly knew. Its not all 'beloved' relatives. Having a hand out is inheritance is life changing for some people. It gives you the freedom to buy a home/sTart a business/not work. Many of us will never get that unless we work for it. What don't you understand about that?

Of course it’s a handout. What else do you think it is? We don’t live forever and people who are fortunate enough to get an inheritance have it significantly better than those who don’t. Poor people feel grief and loss too.

Yes true but if we work hard for our money doesn’t mean DD lifted a finger to earn it. Now I want her to have everything because she’s my DD and I love her but of course she didn’t earn it through her own efforts. You can’t just appropriate someone elses work. If you inherit because someone you are related to worked hard it’s pretty crass to behave like you have anything to do with that.

You’re right but it’s amazing how many people don’t understand this. I’ve heard so much about ‘work hard’-as if only well off people work hard. And the beneficiaries haven’t ‘worked hard’-they’ve just been lucky.

But apparently the same increase in the next forty years is all those evil boomers fault .

speechless

TBF there are younger people who are this stupid too. It isn't just boomers and the Silent Generation who think pointing out structural advantages is some kind of personal insult

It's so weird it's taken as some personal attack