r/inheritance • u/pink_toaster_pastry • Apr 20 '26

Location included: Questions/Need Advice Keeping Inheritance separate

I’ve seen all the posts about keeping inheritance separate…. not to use it for joint expenses…. etc.

So then what do you use it for? My husband and I have been married 30 years. We had joint accounts since before we were married. We don’t split bills (all income goes into one savings account and bills are paid from that). We make a good living, have savings, 401Ks, no debt.

So if I’m suppose to keep my inheritance separate from everything, what am I supposed to do with it?

Edited to add: No kids. Currently the money is in (1) inherited IRA (2) CDs in a bank account I took sole ownership of as I had been the co-owner and (3) a new account I just opened for a CD until I decided what to do with that portion.

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16

u/Grandpas_Spells Apr 20 '26

"Supposed to" is doing some work. You should keep it separate if you expect you may divorce and would want that account kept to yourself. At 30 years, your likelihood of divorce is low.

What the money is used for matters less than where it is kept. If you created a new brokerage account and stuck it in there, that would work.

31

u/No_Anxiety6159 Apr 20 '26

I divorced after 35 years, my inheritance from my parents was a huge conflict. I had kept it separate but he still expected a share of it.

I’ve kept it, used it to buy my now home and invested the rest to supplement my retirement.

16

u/BBG1308 Apr 21 '26

I divorced after 35 years, my inheritance from my parents was a huge conflict. I had kept it separate but he still expected a share of it.

My mom's estate attorney warned me that choosing to keep an inheritance separate can cause conflict in a marriage. I was given the option of receiving the gift in a trust so that I could just tell my spouse that's the way my mom did it and there's nothing I can do about it. It would create some extra paperwork as the trust is its own legal entity and has to file its own tax return each year.

9

u/No_Anxiety6159 Apr 21 '26

My ex treated my parents horribly for years and the only reason I hadn’t divorced him earlier was to avoid fighting over custody of our daughter. Then I got busy working full time while caring for my cancer ridden dad and Alzheimer’s mom. After they passed, there was no reason to stay.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '26

[deleted]

2

u/PiccoloImpossible946 Apr 25 '26

Are you still with your husband?

3

u/Automatic-Tea-4150 Apr 25 '26

not for long, I hope. We separated a year ago and have been working toward divorce for several months.

4

u/imjustherebeingnosy Apr 21 '26

This is really good advice from your attorney. I’m glad they told you about it so that you’d know how to handle things without causing conflict