10 individuals who plan to stay child-free reveal who will inherit their wealth and assets

Who will it all go to?

People opt out of parenthood for a variety of reasons. Even though it seems like the path of least resistance, one should always introspect and examine whether they are really geared toward being a parent. In case they aren't, it is completely acceptable to choose not to have children and be occupied with other pursuits in life. Interestingly, one key aspect of having kids is being able to give somebody all your life's earnings or possessions. u/AgentArnold asked people who didn't want kids about who they would pass on their possessions after they died. Here are 10 insightful answers that individuals had to share.

1. Cousin and their kids

The closest thing I have to siblings is my cousin so I’d leave it to them/their kids. I want to be the random inheritance from an uncle halfway across the country. u/Korngander. I have a cousin who is 55 and renting and when she stops working, she will not be able to afford rent on the pension. I also have a gay nephew in his 20s. My health is not great. I reckon I have only a few more years left. Both these people live in Sydney and Sydney real estate is so expensive you pay a fortune for absolute shit if you can afford anything at all. I think I will leave the unit I buy to my nephew with the provision that my cousin be granted a life tenancy, (which means it's solely hers to live in till she dies - it's a, 1 bedroom unit) so my 55-year-old cousin can have a home in her old age and when she passes away it automatically reverts back to my nephew who can them move in or sell it or dispose of it as he pleases. u/c****icles

2. Best friend

37F, unmarried, no kids, no siblings, and therefore no nieces or nephews. My best friend is a selfless woman who has taken in her 3 y/o nephew at 31 and given up her life. If it’s an unexpected death, it’s all left to her so she can have the life she deserves. If I end up with something terminal where I have noticed, a giant party/trip for me and all my closest friends to a ridiculous location where I blow most of it on the most fun we’ve ever had. u/MargaritaBarbie. It’s a nice plan. My only recommendation is to get a will written if you haven’t already because this won’t happen on trust alone. Without a will I think it will just track back to your closest living relative, however distant they may be! u/Phase3isProfit

3. Siblings and dog

My siblings. Hopefully, it will make their lives a bit easier. I'm the oldest, and probably the most unhealthy, so I doubt I will outlast them but if I did, I'd want my money to go to someone less fortunate. u/IWearBones138__.  Assuming my SO goes before me. I’d leave it to my brothers. I’m the middle child but my younger brother is 10 years younger so he should have at least 10 years after me. I would prefer to leave it to my dog. Maybe I could write a clause that my younger brother has to take my dog and some percentage of the money he spends has to go toward the dog. Doggy daycare, baths and spa treatments, treats and toys and everything a dog wants. u/r311im507

4. Give it to the government

The state can have my debt. u/Coconut_Salad. Jokes aside I’m baffled and enraged at how many affluent people actually end up giving all their wealth to Uncle Sam. My spouse works at a large investment firm and has several multimillionaire clients without kids or next of kin who refuse to declare beneficiaries and also decline charitable giving. All of their money goes straight to the gov’t after they die. So easy to add my name as a beneficiary, why won’t they? u/junipr

5. Charity

It’s very optimistic to assume I’ll have lots of money or assets by the time I die. As a childless/childfree Gen X-er who has never been able to buy a home, I’m not exactly rolling in money. The little money I’ll have will not go to any person, but it’ll go to some charities. u/Most-Ordinary-6005. Ugh. Same. Maybe if I win the lottery? If I do somehow magically wind up with assets of any value upon my death, I'll likely let it be split between my four young cousins. Men in my family seem to prefer to breed much later in life than the norm, so I have four cousins who are in the age range that they could be my kids (if I had wanted to have any), or I could be their aunt. u/StrawberrySure4363

6. Not leave anything behind

My husband recently read a book titled “die with nothing.” We plan to use our money as we are living. We want to go on adventurous trips while we are still young and have the energy to do so. We have separate college funds for our niece and nephew that we contribute monthly to because we have the means to do so. I give money every month to my unemployed disabled mother. When we go out with friends, we always pay because we are the most privileged. We always tip highly. We make donations regularly. When I was a teacher at a Title I school, my husband would donate thousands of dollars to my classroom every year to give my students a high-quality educational experience. We firmly believe as wealthy/financially privileged people, it is our duty to spread that around. We do not intend to die with anything, so there is nothing to leave behind. u/Unlikely_Issue

7. Random people

Give my PC and Steam account to a kid who just wants to play some games. Give my Switch to a hospital for sick kids so they can all play together. Give my car to a teen looking for their first car to learn how to drive. Give my grandma's knitted blanket to someone who looks cold. Give my bass guitar to a kid looking to play in their first band. Donate my jacket to the first homeless you see without one. It would be nice if my things could serve a greater purpose after I'm gone. I think it would do others well to have them. u/Bis**ualFrenchToast

8. Boyfriend

100% to my longtime boyfriend. If he dies first. We have 3 nieces and nephews who are lazy, entitled 20-somethings. Because they were so unappreciative of the 529 accounts we gave them they will get $0. My beloved's yet-broke 2 cousins will now get $0 because they just inherited millions from my uncle’s recent death. Our siblings get $0. Our parents are dead. My estate will go to an animal shelter. As a single person my life was made so much brighter by the 3 dogs and 1 cat I adopted over the years from no-kill shelters. I might ask that a room be named after my father in exchange for the donation. If not then they still get the money. u/TheDogmotherPartTwo

9. Throw a big party

Most of us are leaving behind debt, not wealth. But if I had anything left before I went I would throw the biggest party my money could get me and I guess if I had leftover money it would be given away as door gifts and the strippers would get enough to finally pay off that pesky student debt they have been stripping for the last 7 years to pay off, but somehow the coke and alcohol seem to soak up all the money somehow. u/Defiant_Psychology40

10. Lawn care man

I'm spending it. I just bought a house (actually 2 houses, it was a package deal) and am moving in with my lawn care man. He was living in one of the most dangerous areas of our city and paying 900 bucks a month in rent. He's out in the countryside now, in a better house, and his rent Will be about $500. Eventually, it will be his, most likely. he stepped up and took on our lawn care needs when my husband was first disabled, and he has done so much for us that we want to help him in return. u/maimou1