There's a new trend among retirees that could be costing them the comfortable retirements they probably dreamed of: giving away their money while they're still alive, instead of bequeathing it to heirs.
This so-called "living inheritance" trend, according to a report from HSBC Retirement titled "Future of Retirement: Choices for Later Life," indicates that more than 43 percent of retirees are providing regular financial support to at least one other person. Ten percent are supporting at least one adult child.
It's not just retirees; 62 percent of those still working are also providing regular support to at least one other person. And along with that has come a change in attitudes toward leaving legacies, likely out of necessity: 23 percent of working-age people said it was better to spend what they have while they're alive to enjoy it and leave it up to the kids to build their own financial security, and just 9 percent are going to the other extreme and trying to put aside as much money as possible to leave for their heirs.
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