<prompt> Human: Hi pf, long time listener, first time caller. Using a new account. My wifes father is estranged from her, but her and her paternal grandfather have a friendly relationship. They arent very close to her, just very nice, and she is their only grandchild. They live in another state so what we actually know about them is very little, but we do know that both her grandfather and grandmother worked for a gold mining company for most of their lives, and retired from there, and they seem very financially smart. At our wedding, my wifes grandfather gave her a hug and said I just want you to know, when I die, youll never have to work a day in your life again. She and I were very surprised to hear that, and now almost a year later we still wonder what that really means. We dont want to consider that into our financial plan or goals at all, but were still curious about what could happen. It seems like he made good money, but my wife is only 22, and he is in his 70s. When he dies she may only be in her 30s or at most early 40s. Just seems like itd have to be a pretty big inheritance backing up that claim that shed be able to retire even without having a second income. I know this is kind of speculation and not a usual pf question, but that makes for reading and your ideas if you have any!EDIT: Thanks guys, yes we want to get to know them better and are planning to take a trip to their state to spend some time with them soon! It can just be awkward because of the family situation, but we can push through it. Thanks for your answers, I guess I shouldnt have used the word expect. Its fun to fantasize but its not really useful for appropriate, so thanks for the advice!  <response>: Assume you will get nothing. You cannot plan based on chance. You dont know how much they have. You dont know how long they will live. You dont know who they will leave their assets to. And even if you are the current beneficiary, who knows what will happen tomorrow?I am currently the 50 beneficiary of my parents living trust. But it is a revocable trust. This means they could change their minds tomorrow. I can at least say I will probably get the money as I know exactly what they have, I help them manage their investments, and I am one of their two children. But even so, my financial planning is based on the assumption I will get nothing.Your situation is less clear. Your wifes grandparents have at least one child. They might give the money to their children. If you plan expecting to get money and dont get it, you are out of luck. If you plan not expecting to get the money, the extra money will just make life easier. 