Hoping for an Inheritance? You May Not Get as Much as You Expect
Keeping inheritance expectations realistic can help avoid disappointment and conflict later.
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Everyone should be grateful to receive an inheritance, and no parent wants to leave their offspring with nothing. But just 21 percent of those who plan to bequeath money to their children tell them how much money they'll get. When kids do find out the size of their inheritance after a loved one passes away, it's often less then expected. It can add an unwanted feeling—disappointment—into an already-volatile emotional stew.
More than half of 2,700 adults surveyed for Ameriprise Financial late last year expect to get an inheritance of more than $100,000. Among those who had already received an inheritance, about the same percentage (52 percent) got less than $100,000.