There’s a money conversation I have with people sometimes that isn’t like all the others. It’s quieter, a little sombre. Usually laced with a tinge of embarrassment, shame or guilt.
It’s the hushed admission that the person has (or will) inherit a significant sum of money.
Does inheritance trouble us because we didn’t “earn” it?Credit: Simon Letch
Of course, significant is relative. For some, this is $50,000 from a trust fund or financial help to buy a property. For others, it’s inheriting millions of dollars’ worth of assets. Regardless, the discomfort in each case is similar. There is an unease as they struggle to accept their privilege.
Sometimes there is a hint of confusion. Their gratitude is mixed with a purposelessness: How do I find the motivation to succeed off my own hard work now? Sometimes there is a feeling of guilt: Why should I have it easy, when so many spend their whole lives struggling for a small amount of what I now get to enjoy?
Often, there is fear of judgement: Will people think I’m undeserving of my successes? Will people judge me for the leg-up that I never asked for, but now get to have?
When I first noticed this, it struck me as an interesting phenomenon.
There is hypocrisy in wanting to succeed, but condemning those who do.
So many of us aspire to have more money and wealth. But when it comes in the form of a gift or inheritance, it suddenly feels different. There is suddenly reluctance to accept it. After all, society doesn’t make it easy.
We openly condemn those who receive financial support from their parents. We make crass assumptions of children who grew up in well-off environments: arrogant, entitled, spoiled, lazy.
Why do we feel so ashamed about inheriting money?
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20.02.2024
There’s a money conversation I have with people sometimes that isn’t like all the others. It’s quieter, a little sombre. Usually laced with a tinge of embarrassment, shame or guilt.
It’s the hushed admission that the person has (or will) inherit a significant sum of money.
Does inheritance trouble us because we didn’t “earn” it?Credit: Simon Letch
Of course, significant is relative. For some, this is........
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