My parents give me and my two brothers between $5-10k/year while they're still alive. It hasn't always been exactly even due to me and my siblings' varying needs for the cash at a given time, but my dad keeps a spreadsheet and mails us all copies, so we all know where we stand should my parents unexpectedly pass away before we're all squared up.
Reasons for advances on our annual distributions:
- Older brother bought an apartment building. The money was initially a loan for part of the down payment, but after the housing crash it turned into a gift.
- Younger brother married a foreigner for a very LCOL country. It cost a lot of money to fly her family to the US and pay their expenses while they were here.
- I needed help show more liquid assets when applying to buy an apartment in NYC.
From my parents perspective, it's much better to get rid of the money while they're alive rather than spend it on long-term care. They're comfortable enough with savings, pension, and social security that they have enough excess income that they can do this for us.
I don't expect there will be more than a couple hundred thousand dollars in their estate, but possibly zero, and since it will be split three ways and might be 20+ years from now, I'm not planning on anything other than the occasional $5-10k check in the mail. Always a nice surprise when one shows up.