By 35 is it normal to have inherited money?

[bebeboeuf]

It’s never been something I’ve ever received or expected as I have a very small family and no grandparents but all around me family members (non blood related) and friends are inheriting money from relatives (not parents).

Is this typical of most mid 30’s person?

My DH inherited £10k from a distant aunt I had never even heard him mention or ever met.

Sometimes when we discuss future plans he talks about moving to a certain area. An area that to me we could never afford to live in without something drastic happening to our finances.
His response is always that you never know and it’s almost like because he has a much larger family he just knows that some day he will inherit money where as that’s never been anything I have considered

I don’t know anyone who has inherited anything. Both my parents are just managing to get by week to week financially so it’s not something Ive ever expected or thought of.

My parents were the first generation in their families to buy a house. My MIL was widowed very young and rented all her days. My parents died before I was 40 and it was actually quite traumatic. Another close relative died around then as well - it was just boom, boom, boom over an 18-month period. I’d far rather have had parents - and grandparents for my children- for a few decades longer. I grew up more or less without grandparents too so I know what it’s like too. I had one person behave jealously when I told her I’d inherited from my parents - she had a mother that was very active in her dc’s lives then too. I was rendered speechless by her rudeness - she very clearly couldn’t think and talk at the same time.

I inherited around £22k in my late 20’s. (in 2001) from my lovely nan. I had the opportunity to purchase a flat with the money but instead piddled it away. The flat is now worth £150k!! I would have been wiser with the money had I been older!

When my parents died, I was definitely in a minority amongst similarly aged friends. One or two had lost one parent early, as had my DH when I met him - but nearly all the people in our 30s and early 40s had both parents. Now into my lateish 50s, quite a few friends now have lost both parents.

I'm in my early 40s. I inherited some money as a teenager from an Great Aunt who thought my dm was a disgrace and that I needed a "running away" fund. One of lay preachers from my Grandmother's church left me a bible in his will and one of my Great Grandmother's left me a music box.

My Grandmothers are both still alive albeit in their late 90s. PiLs are both still with us although are planning on giving dh and his sisters a five figure sum each this year in an attempt to lessen inheritance tax. I'm the only beneficiary of both my paternal Grandmother's will and my paternal Aunt's will though (2 nice houses in commuting distance of London) unless they disown me before death which is entirely possible.

Dh is the same age as me and the only thing he's inherited to date is some taxidermy (currently lent to PiLs), a china dish and a really creepy picture of a sheepdog all from his maternal Grandmother.

I inherited from a childless Great Uncle in my early 30s.

My maternal GPs had nothing to leave, paternal GPs and DPs are, happily, still with us. I hope they spend all their money having fun rather than leave it.

I inherited a few hundred quid from one of my grandmothers in my mid 20s. My other grandparents didn't have anything to leave and they all lived in council housing. Was quite excited a few years ago when heir hunters contacted DH about someone neither he or his sister had heard of. We only got £1000 in the end but it was fun trying to find out who she was (a cousin of my late FIL, she was the daughter of his mother's much older brother who'd left home before she was even born), part of me was glad it wasn't more as it was sad to think she died alone in a nursing home when she had family.

A woman at work's kids inherited quite a large amount from their grandparents when they were in their late teens. Her daughter has been really careful and has just used it for a deposit on her first house, but her son pissed his up the wall quit quickly.

In my early twenties I got couple of thousand from a great aunt. Currently, early thirties and nothing

Mid 40’s. Lost 3 grandparents, never inherited anything and won’t when my last DGP goes because all the money/house has been swallowed up by care home fees.

Won’t inherit from my own parents as they don’t have anything.

Nope. My GF's inheritance went to his kids (and if there had been a will saying otherwise, I'm in no doubt it would have been accidentally lost whilst my mother was in his flat), the same would apply to any other relative, not that they'd leave anything to me anyway.

DP's father is likely, due to his health, to die before his mother, who, as GM is fit as a fiddle except for dementia, will probably last for another thirty years yet and will most likely sell everything to move into totally unnecessary and overpriced sheltered housing within a fortnight of inheriting.

You need several factors in order to have inheritances.

Family with something to leave.
No divorces.
No remarriages.
No long harboured dreams of a bland flat with people to look after you when you still have no need for it or other intentions, such as super expensive holidays.
A realistic attitude that death is inevitable and decisions should be made about what to do with any money/property.
A desire to benefit said people.
No in between beneficiaries who spend the lot and more or don't want you to have anything.
The ability to not be an entitled prick whilst any will is being written/updated.

One of my exes had two sets of GPs who died owning property and having a fair bit in the bank. Due to the size, the condition and prime location of each property, the 2 children from each side made squillions. The ex's parents had no actual 'need' for the money, as they in turn own a large house outright in a very desirable location. But there is no chance whatsoever of a penny of it going to the ex. His demands for a 'fair share' within a few days of his first GM dying have put paid to that. I expect it will all go to his sibling in the end, as there are GC on that side.

The ex will no doubt be incandescant about this and do loads of enraged screaming and shouting about his rights and entitlements. But he'd only spunk it on cars, motorbikes, holidays and trading his current girlfriend in for a younger model anyway

Oh well, never mind.

Those that are saying that their circle of friends haven’t inherited, how do you know? I have never talked about mine or my kids inheritances outside of family members. People know my mum died so could guess at an inheritance, but my kids money came from a cousin of mine, none of the DC friends or mine have a clue about it!

I often fantasise that along lost aunt or uncle will bestow a life changing amount on me when they die - It can happen, @iamthere123, as our experience shows, although the deceased was not long lost.

When my cousin became ill, he talked to mutual cousins and indicated that he would leave his estate to cousins’ DC, so when they got letters from his solicitor shortly after his death, it wasn’t a surprise. I thought my DC may get max 10k each.

What no one realised, until we saw an initial estimate of his estate, was the extent of his wealth - well over £1M! So even with 10 beneficiaries and Mr taxman, each beneficiary got nearly 100k. There was stunned silence in our house the day that initial estimate landed - 2 copies as each DC got their own copy!!

Our DC were only 15 and 17, so the amounts were too much for them to take in, but DH and I could see what a difference it would make to their lives. Fortunately they have both taken on board our advice to invest it and it has already grown. Other beneficiaries were older but for all it was a life changing amount, meaning some could eventually buy a house in their late 30s.

My cousin was a bachelor, lived with parents in small bungalow, he and my uncle had fairly normal office jobs from 1940s-90s. They all lived frugally, certainly not a millionaire lifestyle! We think the money came from an inheritance from his mums side, but no one is sure.

Hmmm... My mom died when I was 35 & she left her entire pension pot plus a house she bought cheap. So that box ticked, I guess. Thinking thru other relatives, I can think of only one other inheritance received before age 43.

Depends on your family background. Lots of friends have inherited money, in some cases a lot of money. I will inherit nothing.

My son inherited over£100k when my father died. My father bypassed me and left the money to my son. My son was 29, he bought a property then sold it and was able to put a substantial deposit down when he bought another property with his wife. So yes, I do know someone who inherited money relatively young in life.

My nan left me one hundred pounds in 1987 but other than that nothing and I am mid 50s. I may inherit some money one day when I am a pensioner myself but its more likely that my lovely mum will spend it all.

No, my grandparents had nothing to leave, and my late widowed father remarried and transferred all his assets to his new wife prior to his death when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I'm in my 50s, and most of my friends either still have at least one living parent or only inherited at around 50. So inheriting in your mid 30s isn't normal in my circle.

My Grandad died just before my 25th birthday and his estate was split between his 4 children. My childless uncle gave my sister and I £1000 each as he said “I doubt very much you’ll see anything from your mother and your aunt and uncle will see that your cousins get some from them”. Our cousins are each only children but DSis and I lived with aunty and her husband when growing up.
Both parents still alive and am unlikely to be left anything from either of them as they don’t even send birthday or Christmas cards.
Childless uncle has his will split between his siblings, nieces and nephews and any children of theirs born in wedlock (so far all of them) plus another relative. Hope he has nothing left and enjoys his retirement personally but he is not a spender so who knows.
Don’t think I’ll get anything from Aunty and Uncle who raised us but I don’t know. Frankly, hope they blow the lot on travel and having fun. They worked flipping hard to keep a business afloat and raise 3 kids - 2 who they weren’t expecting!

Bloody hell, bypassing the actual child and leaving it to the grandchild or the parent remarrying and leaving it all to the new spouse....how horrible. I don't have any expectations to inherit anything, I've told my parents to enjoy their lives - better that way.

Both my parents died by the time I was 35. I inherited money. It’s the most unbelievably shit experience ever. I would hand the money back in a heartbeat to have my parents back and for my children to have grandparents. Be careful what you wish for.

I had a small inheritance from an aunt when I was 20, then another small one from a grandparent at 40. In the last couple of years DH & I have both had surprise & very welcome inheritances from relatives other than our parents. We are in our 50s.

Nope not a penny. Dont really know anyone who has inherited anything either although a few people have been gifted large deposits etc. I hope it's a long time before theres any inheritance from my parents, even when they go there'll just be their house which I imagine will be either used for care or if there was money left in it then it would need to go to my sister via me who has ld/autism and can't live independently.

I inherited around £3000 in my 20's from a great aunt. It should have gone to my DF but he had already passed aged 54 so me and DB got his share. I inherited again at 44 when my DM was killed suddenly in an accident. So very financially stable, but I don't count myself fortunate in the lottery of life at all.

My grandparents had nothing to leave...died in 1970s.
My mum left nothing in 1983.
Got £100k when I was 50 from my dad.

I'm 36. People who are saying they don't know anyone who has inherited....well that's generally because it isn't mentioned. I received 10k 4 months ago, with another 15k coming in a couple of months plus a third share of a house. Never mentioned it to anyone IRL as there is no easy way to say it without sounding crass, especially around colleagues who are struggling etc.

My father died suddenly when I was 24. He was 56, and had no will. My mother and my two brothers had no idea of the extent of his wealth as he was a secretive 'not your business' type.

So we were completely floored when the outcome of the estate left us with enough to buy a house each, (after an eye-watering tax bill) plus a bit to invest.

The remaining half was put into a trust that mother lives very well off the interest, and we will inherit on her passing, plus her share.

So yes, at 24 I got £200k and in my 60s or 70s (I hope she lives a long long life), the estate will be enough to buy my three children a house each (if they want/need), as well as leaving us with enough to live on very comfortably.

People call me lucky, but I miss my dad and his grandchildren never had a grandad.