Inheritance question

[Hewlettthedogsout12]

Please can I get some advice. There are 4 grandchildren...two closer to grandparent. Two not as close. Grandparent has sadly passed away and left a large amount of money to each grandchild but split in the following percentages...33%, 33% (both to closer grandchildren), 16%, 16% to other two. Each will receive a large amount of money as there is a lot involved. I am one of the 33% beneficiaries involved. Other grandchildren are unhappy and feel it should be split 25% each. What would you do? There is around £800k involved so will make a big difference whatever is decided. Thanks

What do your parents think, OP? Are they the reason you're wondering whether to give away some of the money? Personally I'd leave things as they are.

@Farmageddon Hang on, that's not the same at all - in both of your examples, one party was left with nothing and the others got everything.

Oh dear god, are you always this literal? the principle is the same. The principle is that sometimes wills are poorly thought out, badly written, just crap.

Seems like you all get quite a bit so stick with what the GPs wanted. It's not like some GCs were left out. Your GPs are allowed to have some relatives they feel closer to than others. How close are you to your cousins? Do you think they would change the will if it was the other way round?

Fwiw, I think you should leave it as is. After all, just north of £120,000 is hardly £50 and a get lost, is it? As they weren't close, they could've received nothing. They could've also made contact and built up more of a relationship if they'd wanted to.

Are you always this rude?

And the principle of a will is to state your wishes for your assets, it does not have to be fair or equal.

If the two grandchildren had been left with nothing (as in your examples) I would agree it was mean, but this case is different, because they were still left a substantial amount.

I also think they have a lot of cheek to ask you to change what the GPs wanted and are putting you in an awkward position out of greed really. I would have been more likely to offer if they hadn't asked

I think you do what you feel is right and are comfortable with. Your consciences, not internet randoms are what matters. It’s obviously troubling you or you wouldn’t have posted this thread. And disrespect for your grandparents? They’re no longer here-the money has been passed to you to do what you want with-they no longer have a say. If it would make you happier to divide the money equally because you see it as fairer-do it. If you would be happier keeping what has been left to you, then keep what has been left to you.

I was in a similar, yet different situation, where by my grandparents will stated their wealth to be split equally between their 3 children, but as my father had died, the will stated that his share ( a third) was to be split between me and my sibling (so half of a third each) My cousin's weren't happy as they weren't getting anything, and we're as equally involved with my grandparents. But obviously they still have two living parents so will inherit substantially more than me and my sibling in the future. Problem is, they obviously would like/need money while young and in need of purchasing property etc. I think that's up to their parents to gift them some of their inheritance early if they wish, as this is effectively what happened to my sibling and I... The money we received from my grandparents, just basically bypassed my deceased parent, and went straight to us. I think my grandparents did it in the fairest way they could under the circumstances, but it did cause a family rift, and the cousins no longer speak to us. I was far closer to my grandparents than my sibling was, but our amounts were still equal, and I think if the amounts had been different in my favour to acknowledge the care I gave them, I would have struggled to know what to do, as I was closer and much more involved than my sibling, and shouldered alot of the care and time in their old age. I still think treating us equally was the right thing to do, as my circumstances made this easier for me to be more involved. If in your situation, I do think I would follow my grandparents wishes and keep the amounts as stated, as like pp said, if the shoe was on the other foot, what do you think they would do?

OP your sums don't quite add up, unless my maths are wrong 33 +33 + 16+ 16 is 98%, is there 2% going somewhere else? If not, then what about a 30/30/20/20 split instead, would that make everyone happy?

Although I think you should just leave it - you have all gotten substantial amounts, if I was the person left 16% I would be grateful for it. I cant believe there are people getting 120k they didn't earn and are still complaining.

If the other higher beneficiary doesn't have any to budge then I really don't think you can. Will you then be "expected" to give up more of your share to make the lower two equal to yours? And then your sibling ends up with substantially more than all of you. What's your parental situation like? Were your grandparents assuming your cousins would be better off financially later in life? More money coming their way from other relatives etc? I think you need to follow the wishes of your grandparents and keep to the will exactly how it was written. If one of your cousins was posting on here, explaining how they felt hard done by, I'm sure they'd be told they were a CF and be grateful for what they were to receive. Your grandparents wouldn't have split their will this way without good reason, so I think honouring their wishes is the right thing to do

I think it would be harder to contest or change a will as the GPs were very specific about what they wanted and no-one was excluded - just different amounts.

If someone is just excluded then it is more deliberate that one grandchild has been excluded and a bigger reason to contest.

Also the fact that your sibling doesn't agree with you, there will be bad feelings with your sibling and you rather than your cousins and you. I would leave it as is.

I’m so sorry for your loss. Very genuine questions only you can answer: how will you feel about this in a decade? Will it change your relationship with your cousins, and does that matter to you? Will it change the way you remember your grandparent or their passing? Your GP has made their wishes clear, but you are left to live with the consequences.

You can’t treat people like strangers and then suddenly decide you’re family when there’s a financial incentive.

Spot on.

it's almost certainly one-third, one-third, one-sixth, and one-sixth, making exactly one whole. One third expressed as a decimal is 33.33% to 2 decimal places (in fact the 3s go on forever) and one-sixth is 16.66% (and the 6s go on for ever).

@Farmageddon
The %s OP has quoted are approximate. They'll be:
33.33333333333333%
33.33333333333333%
16.66666666666667%
16.66666666666667%
= 100

Similar happened to me my grandparents left myself and my brother different amounts of double to my brother this really really upset me as the only real reason was he was 10 years older so in lots of ways had chance to be closer to them. I was close to them and my brother we live doors away from each other both have little children now we hardly speak and it's been hard on our mum, I found it very very hard, I still do, personally going through it I would never ever do this to my own family it's horrible.

Sorry cross post with @LaBefana

Yes, in fact, of course fractions where the denominator is 3 or a multiple thereof go on for ever, and one would just use the decimal approximation that is to the nearest penny, unless the whole is exactly divisible by 3.

What do think your cousins would do if the situation was reversed?

I would follow the will, if you give more to the other children it feels like you are overriding the Grandparenst wishes? And seems a bit disrespectful, the Grandparent made their choice and it should be followed .

This! Why should the less close grandkids get an equal share.

I‘d consider it for a cousin (or sibling), yes, although it would depend very much on the circumstances. If they started out with a strop I wouldn’t even begin to consider it.

Was the GP this awkward and disruptive when alive?

DC1 (share or property) + DGC1 (33% bequest) + DGC 2 (33% bequest)
DC2 (share of property) + DGC3 (16% bequest) + DGC 4 (16% bequest)
DC3 (share of property)

I'm hoping at least the property shares amongst the DC are either equal or their inequality addresses the imbalance. This Will is set to disrupt the family politics for generations.

I think follow the will. Any bad feeling that the will was unequal already exists snd the bad feeling won't go away if you split 25%to all it will just affect those of you that were kept more as well as the ones left less.

If your cousins came into money I doubt they would be sending you 70k. They are doing fine with their share.

As the grandparent, I would be livid from beyond the grave if my wishes were disregarded. Go with the will as stated.

Unless they were mentally infirm and/or the victim of coercion, the grandparents had free will and made their choices. If I thought someone was going to nullify my wishes, I'd leave the entire lot to the cat home.