🌲The 7 Inheritance Gifts To Return for X-Mas🎁

Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of families as a financial planner.

Receiving an inheritance has been something that can be a delight or a struggle.

Here are seven of the 7 “gifts” that I've seen inheritance recipients want to "give back" if they could over the course of my career.

🎁 1. The Timeshare No One Wanted

There's a favorite outdoor store of mine that I liked to visit when I was living in Texas. I'll leave their name out but I loved the store except for one thing, I would get timeshare salespeople hounding me.

"We have a beautiful resort in the Ozarks".

I’ve worked with multiple families who inherited timeshares they never used, never signed up for, and never wanted.

The intent was good — vacations, memories, family time. The reality was ongoing fees, rising costs, and no clean exit.

Instead of flexibility, heirs inherited an obligation.

🎁 2. Collectibles With Unclear Value

Try coming up with a Fair market Value of Gold coins that have "special" prints on them.

The value of those coins are not tied to the "special" prints on them but to the actual weight of gold in them.

Over the years, I’ve seen heirs struggle with collections ranging from coins and art to instruments and jewelry.

The common problem wasn’t that these items were worthless — it was that no one knew what they were worth or who to trust.

Without appraisals or guidance, families were left guessing at a time when clarity mattered most.

🎁 3. Firearms Without Advance Planning

If a firearm is not in a trust, there can be more problems than there has to be.

In several cases, families discovered firearms with no plan in place.

They didn’t know the legal requirements. They didn’t know the deadlines. They didn’t know who could legally possess them.

What could have been handled calmly ahead of time turned into a stressful, time-sensitive issue during an already difficult period.

🎁 4. Operating Businesses With No Succession Plan

Some of the most complicated situations I’ve seen involved family businesses.

Founders often assumed the business could simply be “passed down.” In reality, without a plan, businesses can quickly lose value — or become a source of deep family conflict.

In more than one case, siblings were forced to make rushed decisions that permanently changed family relationships.

🎁 5. Vacation Homes That Create Division

Selling a Vacation home to a sibling can be much harder than it seems.

One sibling may want "Fair market Value" which is what the highest bidder would offer in an auction or free market. The other sibling may want "Appraisal Value" the amount that the Tax Assessors office may use to determine property taxes. These can be very different numbers and coming to an agreement can be hell.

I’ve worked with families who inherited vacation properties with great memories but they created huge disagreements.

Questions about use, costs, repairs, and whether to sell often surfaced quickly. Even families with strong relationships found themselves at odds.

What once brought people together became a point of tension.

🎁 6. Sentimental Personal Property Without Direction

Over time, I’ve seen that families rarely fight over money as much as they fight over memories.

"Grandma's wedding ring" can cause the most arguments and resentment.

Jewelry, furniture, tools, and heirlooms carry emotional weight. Without clear direction, families are left to negotiate feelings instead of facts.

That’s a hard thing to do while grieving.

🎁 7. Cryptocurrency Without Access Instructions

Then there was the time when a large cryptocurrency position apparently worth thousands of dollars could not be accessed by the beneficiary.

The thing about crypto is that there is phone number to call when you can't get into your parents crypto account even though it was written out in the will.

In many cases, I’ve seen families suspect digital assets existed but couldn’t access them.

No passwords. No recovery phrases. No instructions.

In some cases, that wealth was effectively lost — not because it wasn’t valuable, but because no plan existed to transfer it.

🎄 The Common Thread I’ve Observed

In nearly every difficult inheritance situation I’ve seen, the problem wasn’t lack of love.

It was:

• Assumptions instead of conversations

• Complexity instead of simplicity

• Delaying instead of planning

Most people don’t realize how much harder inheritance becomes when decisions are left for later.

🎁 The Best Inheritance Gifts I’ve Seen

After a decade of this work, the best inheritances share the same qualities:

• Clear instructions

• Simple, liquid assets

• Thoughtful conversations held in advance

Those families grieve — but they don’t struggle unnecessarily.

🎄 A Different Way to Think About Legacy

If you’re reading this during the holidays, surrounded by family, consider this:

The greatest gift you can leave behind isn’t found in an account statement or a deed.

It’s clarity, simplicity, and peace of mind for the people you love.

After 10 years of working with hundreds of families, I can tell you with confidence:

The best legacies are the ones that are pre-planned.

Don't wait. If you need help with your estate plan, book a free consultation

About the Author

Marc Lowe, CFP® is a fee-only fiduciary advisor based in Waterford, CT, helping retirees & business owners make smarter financial decisions.

CEO & Founder of In The Money Retirement Planning

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