In her will, Leona Helmsley, NY hotel magnate, left $12 million
dollars for the care of her dog. She left nothing to two of her four
grandchildren, saying ‘the reasons are known to them’.
Even
though Helmsley was a philanthropist, bequeathing millions of dollars
to charitable organizations, she took a stand when it came to rewarding
behavior she didn’t like. Her thinking may have been simple: “My dog
loves me, is good to me, I feel appreciated and loved. Two of my
grandchildren treat me badly. They don’t deserve anything. I’ll leave
money for the other two.”
There is no law requiring
parents to leave their children or grandchildren an inheritance. Blood
lines don’t apply in the U.S. or England, the only two countries that
practice the legal concept of ‘testamentary freedom’ – the right to
designate who will inherit their estate.
That means
children and grandchildren are not automatically entitled to any portion
of their parents’ or grandparents’ estate. They receive an inheritance
because parents choose to leave it to them. Inheritance lies not in the
genes, but in the heart. It's all about the quality of relationship, not
family ties.
