Rich Old Lady Leaves Large Inheritance after Death, Only One Grandchild Gets the Extra Funds

An inheritance split ended in an ugly spat for a family after a wealthy grandmother left a massive share for only one grandchild out of her four grandchildren.

A 31-year-old woman took to Reddit with an interesting dilemma about an inheritance war that sparked after she got the biggest share of all.

Redditor EmeraldBeachxx never borrowed money as she despised being indebted to anyone. However, little did she know that her morale would soon land her in a massive property war with her family.

Even at 94, the Original Poster (OP)’s grandma never compromised with her stringent loan repayment policy. Though she did hand out money as gifts, she was clear about what was a gift and what was a loan.

To make things official, the grandma always made her borrowers sign a loan contract that details the amount lent, and she’d countersign the papers herself.

OP’s uncles, aunts, and cousins were aware of their grandmother’s uncompromising nature regarding loans. She also made sure nobody would dare defraud her from repaying their debt with another strict rule in place for her nonpayers.

The grandma often reminded her family that she wouldn’t think twice to deduct the unpaid credit from her beneficiaries’ inheritance.

One of her uncles thought it was unfair and vented out, saying OP had manipulated her grandmother into favoring her.

So, as far as OP knew, her mom and uncles would repay any money they borrowed from grandma on time. However, not everyone was as diligent. Some took the grandma’s strict policy for granted, unaware that it would backfire very soon.

OP’s grandmother passed away at 94, having fulfilled an important task that would soon lay the groundwork for her family’s rift—her will.

According to the will, the four cousins, including OP, would inherit a house that had to be sold and split into “unequal” parts. The grandmother had planned her estate, bearing in mind the outstanding loan from her grandchildren be taken from their share.

Soon, the house was sold for around £800K, which would mean each cousin inherits £200K each. However, that wasn’t the case.

The real problem emerged when the unpaid loan the cousins owed their grandmother was deducted from their shares of the sale too. It was unknown how much they borrowed over the last 19 years and if they’d even repaid any, but two cousins who had unpaid loans only got £100K. OP's sister also borrowed around £50K, so she only received around £150, and she accepted this wholeheartedly.

Meanwhile, OP, who never loaned from her grandmother, got her full share of $200K plus the excess funds from the unpaid loans deducted from her cousins and sister. OP inherited close to $450K.

One of her uncles thought it was unfair and vented out, saying OP had manipulated her grandmother into favoring her. He later suggested OP redistribute her inheritance equally among her cousins, igniting a bigger rift in the family.

Posting her harrowing experience on Reddit, OP sought advice if she was the one wrong for inheriting the extra funds, and the response was overwhelmingly in her favor.

People on Reddit quickly pointed out the grandmother was aware of what she was doing while listing the beneficiaries of her will and claimed OP was faultless. User MySquishyFishy stated:

“Nana knew exactly what she was doing, and her kids and grandkids can put up or shut up at this point...They got their inheritance before she died. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Condolences on your loss.”

“She did give them an equal share; they just took it early. There’s nothing unfair at all about how she did this and was very smart in leaving a paper trail to show this,” Redditor tubbyx7 added.

Meanwhile, OP’s mom suggested she share her inheritance to save the family from breaking apart, and soon, OP made up her mind on what she needed to do. She claimed her grandmother was a very wise lady and knew what she was doing.

“She has left a large hole in my life,” OP recounted. She added that as she never had a healthy relationship with her uncle and cousins, it wouldn’t be a significant loss for her to deny renegotiating her inheritance.

“Nana’s estate has already been through probate...People were unhappy with the will, but they did not contest it,” OP concluded.

Questions to Ponder:

If OP’s grandmother had not deducted the unpaid loan from her grandchildren’s inheritance, would she still consider OP for a bigger share?

Apparently, the grandmother thought OP exhibited financial maturity for not borrowing money compared to the others and deemed her eligible for some extra funds from the inheritance. Even people on Reddit stated the grandma was very clear on why she set aside more money for OP. However, the scenario could probably end in guesswork had OP borrowed money, considering whether she repaid the loan or not.

Do you think it’s unfair to inherit more than the other beneficiaries in the family?

When OP’s grandmother prepared the will, she was clear-cut with her choices on who would receive how much of her legacy. But once the will was announced, OP’s uncle thought it was unfair for OP to inherit more than her cousins. How would you react to such critics in the family if you were OP?

If you liked reading this story, then you might want to take a look at this one about a mother who looted her daughter’s inheritance and later declared bankruptcy.

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