Thursday 26th June 2008
It has been revealed nearly half of the population has factored in unguaranteed but expected inheritance gains when they are working out their long-term financial plans.
However, the 49 per cent who are contemplating a little something to "smooth" their monetary path may be in for a rude awakening following the prediction that one in every 25 Britons are expected to die "broke", Fool.co.uk reports.
In fact, the website discovered that of the people it surveyed, some 61 per cent admitted they would look after themselves before they worried about leaving an inheritance.
Only one in four (23 per cent) believed that they would be able to pass on the majority of their assets to their next generation, while one in 25 (4 per cent) felt they would be unable to leave anything at all.
When it came to those that did expect to bequeath their families, the house was found to be the most popular asset, with eight out of ten (82 per cent) respondents claiming it would form the main "bulk" of their estate.
While one in nine (11 per cent) of those polled said that inheritance was "vital" to their financial plans, a further two fifths (39 per cent) who hoped to inherit felt it was "to rude to ask".
However, with proposed new changes to the age discrimination laws, some may be adding to their estate by working for longer before retirement.
A spokesperson for Saga revealed that the magazine received many complaints about the legislation that allows bosses to "force" workers into retirement.
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