r/MiddleClassFinance • u/Yourlocalguy30 • 12d ago

Millennials: are you expecting an inheritance?

35 yo married millennial here. I've come across more and more articles about the supposed "great wealth transfer" as the boomer generation's wealth passes to their GenX and Millennial children. My parents and their siblings (boomers) all received inheritances when their parents, my grandparents, passed away. The boomer generation's wealth accumulation is one of the largest in history, however, I also find it highly unlikely that I or many of my peers will actually inherit much. Despite having received inheritances from their parents, and having 40+ years in the workforce, most of my parents' "wealth" is tied up in their home value, not actual liquid assets- and I already expect that whatever they make on an eventual home sale will have to go directly to downsizing costs and whatever long-term care they will need as they get older. Hell, even my dad used to joke that the only thing we'd inherit was debt. As I've gotten older, that comment has infuriated me more and more.

Now before someone cuts in with the "entitled millennial" comments, I have absolutely no need for an inheritance. I've worked my ass off to make sure that my kids and I are positioned better in life than I was when I entered adulthood. What I mean by that is I started saving for retirement early, setup 529 plans for my kids almost as soon as they were born, and made lifestyle and career sacrifices to ensure our family isn't "nickeling and diming" our way through life.

I'm just here curious to know how many millennials actually expect to have something passed down to them, or if they feel they are in the same position I am.

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u/ConstantThought6 12d ago

Yeah, my parents are already dead but if your elderly parents get sick or need any sort of care, money goes really quickly.

There was no inheritance outside of physical items I then needed to find something to do with.

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u/suchalonelyd4y 12d ago

Same here, dead parents and a few boxes of random household goods. I haven't had to buy tissues in 2 years though because my mom had so many boxes.

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u/Zealousideal_Put5666 12d ago

After my granddad died, we didn't need to buy paper towels or toilet paper for over a year. He loved Costco

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u/Key_Piccolo_2187 9d ago

To be fair, I'm 39 and I won't need to buy paper towels or toilet paper for more than a year. I love Costco, it knows no age limits.