Father of 4, Gordon Ramsay, has joined a growing list of celebrities who have decided not to leave their inheritance to their children.
The celebrity chef, perhaps as well known for his colourful language as his culinary genius, believes in instilling a strong work ethic in them instead. He has homes in London, Cornwall and LA and an impressive income – he is in 26th place on the Forbes rich list, with an income for the last year of £46 million.
Despite this, he shares the view with many that to leave his offspring a fortune would be to spoil them. He and his wife Tana have agreed they will give their children the 25% deposit they will need for a flat – but that’s it.
The common theme among the people taking this stance is that they want their children to grow up hard-working and fulfilled. They believe that handing on large sums of money changes people for the worse.
There are many who feel that their money is better spent on charitable works. In 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet set up the Giving Pledge. They encouraged 40 of America’s wealthiest people to join them in committing to give more than half of their wealth away, either while they are living or through their Will.
In an interview on ITV’s ‘This Morning’, Bill Gates summed up his attitude towards inheritance: “It’s not a favour to kids for them to have huge sums of wealth. It distorts anything they might do creating their own path.”
Simon Cowell has also said he plans to leave his money to charity. Whether he has changed his mind since the birth of his son, Eric, remains to be seen.
Sting on the other hand has said he intends to spend his wealth while he’s still alive. He, along with Nigella Lawson and Lenny Henry have echoed similar concerns as Bill Gates about over-privileging their children.
Back in 1992, three female inheritors set up the Inheritance Project. They wanted to talk about how inheriting wealth can be a negative thing and the effects it had on them. They interviewed 200 people in a similar position to them. They found that it was common for people who had inherited large sums of money to be trapped by their lack of needing to work and that many of them found it difficult to sustain relationships and had problems with addictions.
Obviously, all these examples involve very large sums of money and the people in question are not leaving their children penniless. But regardless of the size of your estate, it is worth putting some thought into what you leave to whom, and ensuring that it’s drawn up correctly.
Heir Tight Wills helps clients put in place robust provisions and valid documents, to protect their loved ones and their assets both during their lifetime and after their death. For a FREE Consultation to discuss writing or updating your Will & estate planning provisions, contact Rachael Rodgers on 0845 519 7585, or CONTACT US via email.
