The world history of economics - both at the corporate and personal level, knows a number of various stories when everything went awry simply because someone initially made the wrong assumption. And all subsequent decisions were made on this incorrect ground.
Some people sold Apple shares at a low price in the late '70s, some paid with bitcoins for pizza in the early '10s, and some thoughtlessly spent the money they earned, not saving anything for old age, because they were counting on a hefty inheritance from their parents. By the way, the third case is precisely the father of the user u/gruyerech, the author of our story today.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post lost their mom when they were 16, and 2 years later their dad remarried
Image credits: Kuncheek (not the actual photo)
The man's new wife, however, didn't get along both with the author and with his parents
Image credits: u/gruyerech
Image credits: Expect Best (not the actual photo)
However, the man had been always planning his finances expecting the parents' inheritance
Image credits: u/gruyerech
Recently, the grandparents told the author that they will be the main heir, thus creating a dilemma for them of whether to tell this to their dad or not
So, the Original Poster (OP) tells us that their mother passed away when they were 16, and two years later their dad remarried. However, neither the author nor the man's own parents got along with his new wife. According to the original poster in the comments, the woman was too loud, ignorant, intrusive, and sometimes created a lasting impression of herself as a gold-digger.
The thing is that the author's parents are really well-off people, and it was quite likely that the OP's dad, talking to his wife, could quote Mufasa from The Lion King: “One day this will all be yours!” However, so far the elderly couple were in no hurry to leave this wonderful world.
Over time, the author moved to their grandparents house, and they practically stopped communicating with their son and his new family. Even when the couple had kids. The OP, however, continued to spend time with the dad, and what surprised them the most was his concrete confidence that over time his parents’ millions would go to him.
Moreover, the man and his wife even spent money very thoughtlessly, clearly hoping to cover their debts over time through the inheritance. But recently, the grandparents informed the author that they were indicated as the main heir in the will. However, so that the father cannot challenge the will, he's also mentioned there. With an amount of approximately $50K.
Also, the grandparents took the author’s word of honor that they would never, under any circumstances, share the inheritance they received with their father. And now the original poster is faced with a difficult moral dilemma - should they warn the dad that he'll receive literally nothing? So that he at least adjusts his spendings based on this new data...
Image credits: Any Lane (not the actual photo)
“Of course, each of us has the right to manage our own money as we please, so the existence of such a will was not surprising to me,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. “Especially if they have a tense relationship with their son, for one reason or another.”
“On the other hand, this man really should have thought about the likelihood of such an outcome, and taken a more rational approach to planning his expenses. Unfortunately, many people, even in adulthood, behave very, very immaturely in relation to financial planning...”
“As for the moral and ethical dilemma that faces this person, the grandparents, by their decision, actually shift the burden of responsibility for it onto their shoulders. Of course, in addition to this burden, there's a hefty amount of money, but still, it seems to me that the elderly couple themselves should have warned their son about the decision made. It would have been more honest,” Irina summarizes.
In the comments to the original post, the author also admits that they recently started a job in the financial sector, and they're actually financially independent and responsible. And this most likely greatly influenced the grandparents' decision regarding their will. However, the commenters still believe that the grandpa and grandma should tell everything to their son themselves.
"Your grandparents should be honest with your dad. By not telling him, they are setting you up for a lot of drama after they die, and that's not fair to you," one of the responders wrote quite reasonably. "Your dad shouldn't be spending recklessly and counting on inheritance money to come in and fix everything. That's ridiculously irresponsible."
"Your grandparents are kind of cruel for letting him keep digging a deeper and deeper hole all the while knowing what he expects. They should go ahead and tell him so he can plan accordingly," another person in the comments added. So do you, our dear readers, agree with this point of view as well?
People in the comments claimed that the grandparents should have told this to their son themselves, not shift this burden onto the grandchild
Image credits: João Jesus (not the actual photo)
