Leona Helmsley's Dog Gets $12 Million in Will

[anitram]

So is a trust set up differently from a regular inheritance? Like I said, I know very little about this stuff.

Yes, a trust is not the same as having $ left to you in a will.

 

[BVS]

Yes, a trust is not the same as having $ left to you in a will.

Gotcha, yeah I just had this conversation at dinner and was explained the difference... Thanks.

 

[MsPurrl]

Is it true, as David Letterman said last night, that the dog will use the money to arrange fights between NFL players???

 

[U2girl]

This was one of the world's richest people, hardly comparable to any singing dude.
And her money or not, it's cruel and lame to give this much to a pet and cut out her own flesh and blood.

 

[indra]

This was one of the world's richest people, hardly comparable to any singing dude.

Yeah, I expected that type of answer.

And her money or not, it's cruel and lame to give this much to a pet and cut out her own flesh and blood.

Does anyone ever even consider that these grandkids could be completely vile people? Or perhaps they made sure to tell her they didn't want her money, so she's just respecting their wishes? If they wanted her money, they had to play by her rules and apparently they didn't do that. That's just life in the big city.

 

[anitram]

Does anyone ever even consider that these grandkids could be completely vile people?

No kidding.

Besides why do people assume those grandkids are entitled to the money? Have they done anything to earn it? Did they even speak to this woman or have a relationship with her?

I don't expect one penny out of any of my grandparents and I had very good relationships with all of them. It's not a damn lottery when they die.

 

[MsMofoGone]

Originally posted by anitram
Besides why do people assume those grandkids are entitled to the money?

It's still the principle matter of fact ... they were part of her family. They should have received SOMETHING of an amount.

Originally posted by anitram
Have they done anything to earn it? Did they even speak to this woman or have a relationship with her?

A very interesting approach to the issue, anitram !!
But, what you say makes 'more sense' WHY the chauffer would receive money from Leona.

Why should family members feel they need to 'work' for a relative, in order to receive money from a relative when they die ??
Those grandkids probably have their own work careers ... so what's the point of them 'working for her' just to receive an inheritance ??
Even the chauffer received 100 G's ... so again, the fact that she didn't leave those grandchildren (who were her family) anything at all ... that's still rather insulting and cruel.

The fact that the chauffer 'worked' for her and still got some of the inheritance. What ?? Are we to think he was family ?? ... and the grandchildren were NOT ?? Sorry, that's just absolutely ridiculous !!

 

[U2girl]

Yeah, I expected that type of answer.



Does anyone ever even consider that these grandkids could be completely vile people? Or perhaps they made sure to tell her they didn't want her money, so she's just respecting their wishes? If they wanted her money, they had to play by her rules and apparently they didn't do that. That's just life in the big city.

Yeah well, that's what happens with a bad analogy.

Somehow I doubt they were more vile than her - and what, her son and other grandkids were angels? She was arrested for not paying taxes and from what I read even her own employees didn't complain about that (a famous line was "only poor pay the taxes"). And the note in the will said something like "you know why" so I don't think they explicitely said they don't want money. If I read it right, the dog got more money than - individually - her own son and the two grandchildren that did get money. Her driver got some money and her own family members didn't. She even spent money on cleaning her tomb rather than giving some to them.

The notion that someone has to play by the rules or earn it to be remembered in a will is very cynical, especially if members of the same family are involved.

 

[anitram]

Why should family members feel they need to 'work' for a relative, in order to receive money from a relative when they die ??

Why should family members feel like they are entitled to their relative's money??

When my last grandmother and grandfather die, I don't feel like I have a RIGHT to a piece of the pie. If they want to leave money to relatives, wonderful. If they want to leave it to charity, wonderful. If they want to leave it to some relatives but not others, wonderful. If they want to be buried with it, wonderful.

They worked hard all their life. They have an absolute right to do AS THEY PLEASE with their money. I think there is something distasteful and disgusting in people expecting a pay out after a relative dies just because they were related.

 

[Dalton]

Why should family members feel like they are entitled to their relative's money??

When my last grandmother and grandfather die, I don't feel like I have a RIGHT to a piece of the pie. If they want to leave money to relatives, wonderful. If they want to leave it to charity, wonderful. If they want to leave it to some relatives but not others, wonderful. If they want to be buried with it, wonderful.

They worked hard all their life. They have an absolute right to do AS THEY PLEASE with their money. I think there is something distasteful and disgusting in people expecting a pay out after a relative dies just because they were related.

Wow. You and I have a very different perspective on family.

 

[Liesje]

12M for a dog? Hmm.... whatever. Doubt any dog would live long enough to spend 12M. Lucky break for whoever is next in line...

As for family inheritances, all I'll be inheriting as my elders' debt! I guess it's better not having to worry about who's getting what.

 

[anitram]

Wow. You and I have a very different perspective on family.

I don't think it's a perspective on family at all, but on family $. Is it nice to help your family out? Of course. My parents helped educate me as much as they could. But I just hate that sense of entitlement that when somebody dies, you have people lining up like vultures behind them. And then when the will doesn't say what they think it will, you've got a huge family fracas over who didn't get what. If that's not distasteful, I don't know what is.

 

[Dalton]

I fully expect money from my grandparents (well, one set - the other set I fully expect to help pay for their needs as they get older). I expected it when I was a child, I expect it as I got older, and I expect it when they die.

My family is really close and 'expectation' is a big part of that. If my grandparents (either side) call and need something, they expect that I will be there for them. I don't feel put out by the fact that they have expectations on my time nor do I feel bad that I have expectations on them. We've always taken care of one another and I hope that never changes.

Now, if it comes to the end of their lives and they don't have anything to give - so be it. But I do feel entitled to what they have.

 

[anitram]

I was a full-time caretaker of my paternal grandmother when she was in end-stage Alzheimer's. I sacrificed a year at school in order to do so. This involved bathing her, clothing her, and almost never going out in the evenings with my friends. She eventually had to go to a nursing home where they could provide the type of care she needed.

I felt it was my family duty to help her out, and she was a very good grandmother to me. I do not feel entitled to any $ she had when she passed away, nor did I feel I "deserved" more than my brother who did nothing for her. Is it nice to get it? Yes, but the expectation wasn't there and I certainly would not have been upset or caused a ruckus if we all got equal amounts or if a cousin got more than me or whatever. It's still her choice.

 

[Dalton]

While I agree that grandparents have a "choice" as do you and I, I just can't imagine grandparents not wanting to help their grandchildren.

I know that my grandparents are going to give all of us grandchildren equal amounts even though a few of our cousins are real tools. To my knowledge no one has a problem with that.

 

[namkcuR]

We're not talking about some distant second cousins who are pissy because they didn't recieve anything in the will, we're talking about the woman's children and grandchildren. Isn't one of the universal themes of life where parents are concerned that they work to make their children and grandchildrens' lives better? So if a grandparent or ESPECIALLY a parent dies, why would they want to leave the money to anyone/anything but their children and grandchildren(and possibly siblings)? If you leave money to two of your children, but not to the other two(even if they are stepchildren), something stinks.

On a side not, I don't like the idea that you have somehow failed at life if you are living off of money that you inherited rather than money that you earned. Inheriting a big amount of money in and of itself does not make young people into spoiled brats a la Paris. It is a fundemental lack of parenting that does that. If you were brought up right, a big inheritence isn't going to make you into a spoiled/ungreatful type.

 

[kellyahern]

Is it true, as David Letterman said last night, that the dog will use the money to arrange fights between NFL players???

 

[blueeyedgirl]

We're not talking about some distant second cousins who are pissy because they didn't recieve anything in the will, we're talking about the woman's children and grandchildren. Isn't one of the universal themes of life where parents are concerned that they work to make their children and grandchildrens' lives better? So if a grandparent or ESPECIALLY a parent dies, why would they want to leave the money to anyone/anything but their children and grandchildren(and possibly siblings)? If you leave money to two of your children, but not to the other two(even if they are stepchildren), something stinks.

Dame Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop, stated years ago in her biography that she intended to not leave a cent to her 2 daughters. She and her husband would use the money to fund charitable organisations etc. Her reasoning was that she had made her fortune from nothing, she had started her own business from scratch and therefore having her daughters inherit her money would deprive them of the sense of achievement of making their own way in the world.

Would that be considered right or wrong?

In this case, Leona Helmsley sounded like a right piece of work. She was a cow in life, why are people surprised she's still acting like one in death? And who's to say her offspring aren't all horrible people not deserving of our sympathy either?

 

[dazzlingamy]

I agree with antitram - its up to her to decide what she wants to do with her money. You shouldn't EXPECT something, but rather be pleased if you get something from your grandparents/parents, or pleased if it goes somewhere else.

Parents leaving money for their children and grandchildren started when people were dying at 40 and 50 when there children still were young and needed money to help buy a house, or whatnot. Now adays people are living till their kids are in their 50's or more - what do they need the money? Why are the expecting to be helped out and a big cash cow coming their way?

When my grandparents died, yep we all got a hell of a lot of money each - it was our choice to do with it what we wanted. At least 4 of my cousins pissed, gambled and materialistically blew it within a year - wow...how thoughtful and wonderful of my grandparents and what thoughtful gestures my cousins gave them when they passed.

If you inherit money - where is your drive in life? Who are you if you don't have to do a damn thing to stay alive? When you don't apreciate ANYTHING.

 

[MsMofoGone]

Originally posted by anitram

Why should family members feel like they are entitled to their relative's money??

I never said those grandchildren were 'entitled to' Leona's fortune. I just said that (because they were part of her family) they 'should have' received at least something of an amount.

Originally posted by anitram
I think there is something distasteful and disgusting in people expecting a pay out after a relative dies just because they were related.

Being part of family is 'common knowledge' that most don't always expect money left to them ... they just know their family WILL leave money to them, if they have it to leave ... because it's a form of further 'providing' for the family members once they are gone.