Receiving an inheritance from the in-laws can greatly impact any financial situation. Inheriting from the in-laws is not an automatic right, and going about requesting one from your in-laws can be a touchy matter.
If someone were to (delicately) go about requesting an inheritance from their in-laws, there are several ways to do it:
- Communication: Openly discuss the inheritance matters with the spouse and in-laws to understand their wishes and intentions. If the money was going to be used for health matters or for their grandchildren, the in-laws may be more likely to financially assist.
- Estate Planning: Encourage your in-laws to create a comprehensive estate plan that clearly outlines their wishes. This only works if step number one is successful.
- Family Dynamics: Consider the dynamics within your extended family and the potential impact of inheritance on relationships. See step one.
One woman may have to learn all three steps the hard way if she wants her father-in-law to leave his inheritance behind for her, her husband, and their son. The mother-in-law in question has dementia and may require a caretaker if something happens to the father-in-law (who is worth quite a bit of money). The woman also denigrates her brother-in-law as a “mooch.” The woman may not be getting the reaction from the columnist that she was expecting. Anytime she broached the topic with her father-in-law, the response is, as usual: “not to worry about it.”
The woman in question receives the following scathing reply: “My father-in-law is selfish.”
Inheriting from your in-laws can be a sensitive topic. She doesn’t seem to approach this type of conversation with the proper empathy and respect. Perhaps acknowledging that this is a personal decision for the in-laws. The woman may want to a) seek professional advice from a financial professional, and b) look at increasing her own personal wealth, so she doesn’t have to rely on her wealthy father-in-law’s inheritance.