inheritance shockers

[Anonymous]

Has anyone received an inheritance that was a complete surprise, perhaps even a life-changing amount? Conversely, did an expected/promised inheritance fail to materialize?

[Anonymous]

I imagine being surprised by your inheritance in one direction or the other is at least as common as having a full and accurate picture ahead of time.

[Anonymous]

Why does the Money forum have so many random hypotheticals?

I feel like at the very least OP should have their own surprise inheritance or something to share.

This is like the other random thread where someone says "what would you do if the government confiscated your home or squatters took it over".

Like...tell us how that happened to you or someone you know.

[Anonymous]

has anyone won the lottery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:has anyone won the lottery?

*looks around*

Only the genetic one it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does the Money forum have so many random hypotheticals?

I feel like at the very least OP should have their own surprise inheritance or something to share.

This is like the other random thread where someone says "what would you do if the government confiscated your home or squatters took it over".

Like...tell us how that happened to you or someone you know.

This is an anonymous board and maybe if details were provided, those might be enough to no longer ensure anonymity.

[Anonymous]

Sorta. 10 years ago, my aunt (mom's sister) died and my brother and I were her only heirs. We both inherited $1M. We knew before she died that we were her beneficiaries so the inheritance and amount was not a shock at all. Her estate was very well organized and her lawyer seemed 100% on top of things.

Fast forward 10 years, we get notice from an annuity company that there was a $200,000 annuity that had never been distributed. We tried to contact the lawyer, but had no luck (long story.). What was shocking was how this one sizable asset was "lost."

My aunt passed shortly after my mom passed and we weren't excited about the inheritance - the grief was so raw. But 10 years later, it was like we won the lottery. I put the money into a dream renovation of my home and my brother used his to help build his retirement home.

[Anonymous]

When grandpa died, the will was a shock. He didn't have a ton, but he split it 96/2/2 among his 3 children. MIL thought she was going to get 1/3 of $150k and ended up getting $3k.

He was a deeply flawed human being and no one ever really figured out why he did it. The daughter who inherited it all lived across the country and didn't even come to the funeral. Just weird all around.

[Anonymous]

OP here and should have shared my story to kick things off. DH was left $100K when his grandfather died in the late '90s. I had assumed all money would go to his children, not his grandchildren, but there we were.

It was enough money at the time to allow me to make the leap from full-time employee to freelancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When grandpa died, the will was a shock. He didn't have a ton, but he split it 96/2/2 among his 3 children. MIL thought she was going to get 1/3 of $150k and ended up getting $3k.

He was a deeply flawed human being and no one ever really figured out why he did it. The daughter who inherited it all lived across the country and didn't even come to the funeral. Just weird all around.

Did the daughter with the windfall have a good enough relationship with her two siblings to consider making them whole?

[Anonymous]

We recently discovered my father in law is UHNW or close to it (one of those who drives a 20 year old car and lives in a $300K house). Not expecting to get anything. He’s very weird with money - always has us pay for everything when we do joint stuff - and if anything I could see him leaving it all to the grandkids and skipping his kids.

[Anonymous]

I am estranged from my parents. I hope they at least give $ to my kids but it won’t be in time for anything useful like college probably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorta. 10 years ago, my aunt (mom's sister) died and my brother and I were her only heirs. We both inherited $1M. We knew before she died that we were her beneficiaries so the inheritance and amount was not a shock at all. Her estate was very well organized and her lawyer seemed 100% on top of things.

Fast forward 10 years, we get notice from an annuity company that there was a $200,000 annuity that had never been distributed. We tried to contact the lawyer, but had no luck (long story.). What was shocking was how this one sizable asset was "lost."

My aunt passed shortly after my mom passed and we weren't excited about the inheritance - the grief was so raw. But 10 years later, it was like we won the lottery. I put the money into a dream renovation of my home and my brother used his to help build his retirement home.

I am an estate planning paralegal and thought I had heard of it all! Thank you PP for sharing this.

I agree that it is awful that the attorney missed an annuity. That it was is quite concerning for many reasons, but the silver lining part is that it was a wonderful and exciting surprise for this PP and her brother. I can't stop thinking about that and while I would not recommend this, but what if there was a way to actually draft that type of 10 year "hey, there is a bit more!" surprise into an EP document? It is like a hug from the other side in the most surprising way.

[Anonymous]

One here one day someone posted about unclaimed property. I searched my maiden name in the state whre I grew up and there was something from my Godfather (uncle) who died when I was 10. He never married but had a life insurance policy through his job and had made me beneficiary. He died in a work place accident but no idea about the policy. Fast forward to when I found it between the policy, some settlements and fines to the company the grand total was over $1 mil. Just sitting there for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One here one day someone posted about unclaimed property. I searched my maiden name in the state whre I grew up and there was something from my Godfather (uncle) who died when I was 10. He never married but had a life insurance policy through his job and had made me beneficiary. He died in a work place accident but no idea about the policy. Fast forward to when I found it between the policy, some settlements and fines to the company the grand total was over $1 mil. Just sitting there for decades.

Amazing! And that it started with a post on DCUM!