Why your retirement plan shouldn’t depend on an inheritance

(InvestigateTV) — Millions of Americans are expecting an inheritance someday, but Matt Schulz, a consumer finance analyst with LendingTree, said that money should not replace a personal savings plan.“It’s a luxury if you have it,” Schulz said. “But it’s really, really important for people to not have that be their entire retirement plan.”LendingTree found that homeowners 65 and older could transfer $17.2 trillion between 2026 and 2045. About a third of Americans younger than 65 expect to receive some of that money as an inheritance or financial gift, and of those expecting a payout, 43% say their retirement plan depends on it arriving.Schulz said that money is not guaranteed to be there when it’s needed.“It’s important for people to not assume that all the money that’s there now is going to be there in the future, because the cost of health care, the cost of assisted living and so many other things that we face when dealing with elderly parents or our own aging are so expensive,” Schul