This is actually something I've been thinking about a lot recently, since I flew home to see my dad on Father's Day weekend. I am executor of his estate (though he insists on calling me executrix, which just makes me think of dominatrix, which means I'd prefer to be referred to as the masculine pronoun here, thank-you-very-much).
Anyway, to the point: every time he updates his will, he clues me in on everything, and I have a good handle on his assets. Neither of my sisters do, and I feel that it's his right to tell them or not, so I don't offer any details to them. Both of them assume he has spent his inheritance, when I know that, as of the latest figures, we will each get...well, enough that I could FIRE several times over.
But I don't factor that into my plans at all. Partly because things could change, and he could end up dying destitute, and partly because he could live until I'm 80, and I don't want to be working until then. But mostly because that's my grandparents' and great-grandparents' money, not mine. I will be provided for in FIRE by my money, which I have earned in part because of all of the advantages I had growing up: education, enough healthy food to encourage good brain development, etc.
I have no kids, and don't plan on having kids, but I do love my nieces and nephews. Most of my money will likely go to charity when I'm gone, with a little left to them (I'm thinking low 6 figures to each of them, but who knows what I'll eventually decide). I've also thought about buying a homestead for my family. My dad, aunt, and uncle sold the family ranch (my grandfather was a gentleman rancher, so he didn't really take care of it, it was more like a family retreat) after my grandfather's death, and I always wished that they hadn't. I like the idea of having a place where the whole family can gather for holidays, and a place where any of the family can go spend a quiet week if they just want to get away. But who knows if I'll actually do that or not? Like I said before, I'm not planning too much on that money. In the end, the best thing I can give my family is the same thing my parents have given me: a support system that makes me feel confident that, no matter what I make or lose, there's always someone there for me.
