A close family member of mine has made it very clear that my sister and I will inherit his assets upon his death (except for his current home, which will go to his live-in partner, who he's committed to but not legally married to). We've seen the will, it's all there in black and white. Given his health conditions, it's unlikely that he'll live past the next ten years. It's enough money to make a material difference to when, and/or how comfortably, my partner and I could retire. My sister is counting on that money for her kids' eventual secondary education, and I've told her multiple I think she needs a backup plan. A lot of my financial anxiety would be relieved if I could 100% know that money would be in my bank account one day. And yet...
He could live until he's 100, upending my sister's plans
He could change his mind about asset allocation for whatever reason, and either inform us or not
The remainder of his life could whittle down his assets significantly
He's invested in pretty stable stuff, but in this economy, who the hell knows. If I were heavily invested in the stock market and was close to retirement age, I'd be freaking out.
Totally agree with sync. When it comes to other people's money, expect the worst (inheritance can cost people more time and money than it's worth, even if you do have generational resources), and be pleasantly surprised if your life improves.