Kids of prey

Cents & Nonsense: The vultures fly ever closer to the large brown object slumped in the shade of a small tree. The mighty wildebeest is too old and tired to keep up with the great annual migration across the Serengeti plains. When the predators get him - sooner rather than later - the birds of prey will swoop in for their big feast, writes Margaret E. Ward.

Watching this scene on television, I am sickened to realise that it reminds me of those who sit around waiting for a parent or wealthy relative to die so they can get their hands on their inheritance.

Don't pretend you haven't met them. They sound a bit like this: "We really don't have to worry about getting a proper job/crippling debt/risky investments/an unaffordable house/private school fees for kids/retirement . . . because we'll get the house on Money Road when my mother dies."

Inheritance is their magic elixir, so there is no need for them to work towards anything. They are just waiting for their wealthy relative to die and for their life to begin.

There is something truly vulgar about the whole concept of inheritance. Why, because you happen to be born into a particular family do you automatically receive your parents' assets? Did you do something to deserve it? Did you work for it?

Naturally, parents want to do their best for their children. Most of us want to give them a good start in life by providing a stable, loving home, nutritious food, a decent education and some help in to the working world.

But are we doing them any favours by leaving them money after we die, or should we help them when we are alive or both? Are we motivated to leave an inheritance for selfless reasons, or is it simply pride in maintaining the continued economic status of the clan?

The sense of entitlement that inheritance may create breeds some very nasty behaviour. In 1989, the Menendez brothers from Beverly Hills, California shot their parents dead to gain early access to their inheritance.

Erik and Lyle were in their early to mid-20s when they pulled the trigger on Mom and Dad to get their hands on a $14 million estate.

According to a New York Times report of the trial that later led to their conviction and imprisonment, the Menendez sons "fired 15 blasts from two shotguns, nearly blowing off their father's head and shooting their mother as she crawled across the floor".

Heiress Paris Hilton's recent trouble - a prison term for driving with a suspended licence - shines a light on the mental attitude of the pampered rich. This tiny blonde billionaire has made a career of ridiculing middle- class people on television, displaying extremely narcissistic and exhibitionist behaviour and flouting the law.

The story is no different among the young, privileged classes of Ireland.

Ross O'Carroll Kelly, the satirical character created by journalist Paul Howard, shows a similar disdain for his parents and those outside his socially acceptable south Dublin postcodes and is shockingly self-absorbed. To many, the character is all too familiar.

Extreme wealth for the middle-class is a relatively new experience in Ireland. Countries that have had several generations of wealthy children are feeling the backlash.

In the United States, many of the richest families have decided to give away their money rather than leave it to their children. Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet have all decided to redistribute their wealth through philanthropy rather than pass vast wealth to their children.

Despite his riches, Buffett says he doesn't believe the world should give a head start to "members of the lucky sperm club".

Across the water, British "baby boomers" are taking the same line by spending the inheritance and leaving their children to fend for themselves.

High property prices mean many kids live at home until they are in their 30s. When their parents sell the house to fund their retirement, some of the children are forced to rent.

Are we really obliged to sacrifice for the last 30 years of our lives to give our kids a big wad of cash? I don't think so.

We are living much longer, so we need money in our later years. Pensions cannot always provide a decent standard of living and many of us will require long-term care. The kids are too busy working to look after us, so we need to provide for ourselves.

Parents have a moral obligation to help children to stand on their own two feet by giving them good self-esteem, nutrition, education and social tools to find their way in the world.

Despite what the Succession Act of 1965 implies, financial inheritance should not be a right.

• Margaret E. Ward is a journalist specialising in personal finance and consumer issues. She is also a director of Clear Ink, the Clear English Specialists. Please write to her at cents@clearink.ie