By the time you inherit, writes Cynthia Banham, you may be too old to enjoy it.
Classic literature is full of young heirs and heiresses suddenly landed with large fortunes.
But there is little chance of such good luck today. People are living longer, and inheritances are going to those so old that a sudden windfall will have little impact on their lives. That's the upshot of a Herald survey in the NSW Probate Registry. And they are leaving them to the same people - a spouse, children or near relatives. The big difference is in the age at which people are inheriting.