Guilty Money

The windfall of inherited wealth often comes with feelings of guilt and elation, isolation and confusion. No wonder; when the financial gain is due to the loss of a loved one’s life, it feels crass to be excited about the opportunities an inheritance affords. Learning to be comfortable with inherited wealth is a process, a process of moving through emotional stages that can be aligned with the emotional stages of grief. There are six emotional stages of inheritance: disbelief, anger, euphoria, guilt, paralysis, and becoming “heirworthy.” Barring the euphoric stage, the six emotional stages of inheritance parallel the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This paper looks at how to diminish guilt by looking at wealth as a blessing and not a curse.