Frugal Old Man Living in Humble Home Left $1M Inheritance to a Single Heir – His Daughter Got Nothing

The woman refused to grieve her father's passing and never showed up at his funeral. But when she found out about the enormous estate he bequeathed to a single heir, she felt entitled.

While Reddit's notorious "AITA" forum has endless stories of people seeking justice for their incredibly awkward situations, a person posting under throwawayforAITA1 turned up with yet another money war that sparked when an estranged daughter felt entitled to her late father's money.

The Original Poster (OP) filled in readers on their relationship with their late grandfather and an aunt who raced to challenge OP for becoming the sole inheritor of an inheritance that OP felt was enormous enough for a life settlement.

The Redditor reminisced about being fairly close with an aunt who the grandpa distanced for unknown reasons. She had three kids who never had a good word about their grandfather. Even OP's mother often said, "It's between the two of them" whenever OP asked her why.

The aunt and cousins remained hostile towards the grandpa and missed their golden chance to get to know him better like OP. To anyone who knew the grandpa, he was a frugal man who lived in an inexpensive tract home. He loved to do only two things in his lifetime—woodworking and gardening.

The grandpa was around 90 at the time of his passing. OP said the man lived to the fullest and died peacefully in his home in late January. While everyone near and dear attended the grandpa's funeral, it wasn't a surprise when OP's aunt and cousins never showed up.

OP thought the grandpa was extremely thrifty, but the life-changing money he'd saved took everyone by surprise. Over time, OP's closeness with the grandpa paid off well after he named OP his sole heir to a little over $1M.

When news of OP's sudden riches reached the aunt's ears, she teamed up with her children and immediately contacted OP, pleading to split the estate into five parts. However, reality struck when lawyers sternly warned OP that a little act of generosity could backfire.

They told OP not to split the inheritance as per the aunt's suggestion but divide it into half so that the aunt and her children could split their share however they wanted. After another deep discussion, one of the lawyers suggested OP could write four checks worth $5K each to get them to go away and not contest the will.

Meanwhile, another lawyer advised OP to do nothing and fulfill the grandpa's last wishes to the letter. The lawyer emphasized that the estate was a befitting token of benefit OP got for staying close with the grandpa until his final days.

Confused and unconvinced, OP asked the internet if it would indeed be a wrong move to keep the entire estate and launch a full-blown life settlement with the money instead of sharing it with the aunt.

In the post's most top-voted comment, Redditor Feroc advised OP not to go against the grandpa's last wishes, stating:

"It was the last will of your grandpa, he decided that you should get everything, and I don't think you have any moral obligation to share against his will."

The person emphasized that they would either give the aunt and cousins the $5K each in checks to avoid a legal hassle or provide them with nothing while leaving the rest to the attorneys to figure out.

"Your grandfather had a reason for only giving his money to you. If he wanted to split the money, he could have… She deserves nothing and should get nothing," user Sagatario_the_Gamer asserted. The person explained how the aunt might not stop asking for more money if she got any share from OP's estate.

Several others like Redditor Originalryan12 flocked to the thread and agreed likewise and roasted OP's aunt for expecting to get paid for a relationship she never had with her father.

"...and being so full of yourself you can't even make amends when your father DIES...Hell no, they are lower than basic human decency," the person proclaimed.

As more people advised OP on the plight, Redditor Zombie_Nietzsche suspected how OP's aunt knew the estate's net worth. "Since it was a secret to you, I doubt they have any idea of the dollar amount," the person predicted. OP stated that the aunt somehow found out about the inheritance under mysterious circumstances.

Conclusively, people offered a blended insight on OP's dilemma. While some said dropping the $20K in checks would avoid a legal hassle in the future and convince the aunt that she got 50% share, several others asserted that OP wasn't morally obliged to share a dime with them.

Although OP predicted, "Just over a million dollars is enough money for me to finally fund a retirement account, have a down payment on a decent house, and actually save some money," the fate of the legacy remains unknown as OP hasn't updated the story.

Questions to Ponder:

Would you share your inheritance with a family member who is estranged and was cut off from the will?

Several people advised OP not to share the estate with the aunt and cousins after OP emphasized how they remained hostile towards the grandpa until his death. Do you think it would be fair to share your inheritance with a family member who was cut off from your grandparents’/parents' will?

Would you still appreciate it if your grandparent made their estranged son/daughter the legal heir despite you being their sole caretaker?

The grandpa in OP's story made OP his legal heir, considering the good things OP did for him. Only OP stood by the grandpa's side in all his odds and evens. The grandpa was moved and thought OP deserved to keep the estate. How would you feel if your grandpa bequeathed the estate to his estranged son/daughter, although you were his only supporter until his last breath?

If you liked this story, here's one about a father disinheriting the daughter who fulfilled all his wishes in favor of another heir.

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