BuzzFeed
By Dannica Ramirez
June 29th, 2025
How my mother lost a multi-million dollar inheritance and got stuck with a $50k funeral bill…
My great-grandfather started a candy company that serviced most of Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. My grandfather (his son) sold the company for upwards of about $100 million. My grandfather used the money to buy some land down in Florida, franchised a few radio shacks, and bought a lot of cars. During this time, he divorced my grandmother and married another woman with children. Toward the end of his life, my grandfather reconnected with my mother and met me, but then developed brain cancer. He decided to cut his wife out of his will and gave all his money (around $10 million) to my mother and her brother. Because he was bedridden, he had to have his lawyer email and print out the new will, which he was to sign and mail back to his lawyer. But he asked his wife (the one he was screwing over) to mail the new will, but it got ‘lost.’ My grandfather died a few days later, with my mother unaware that the will change hadn’t gone through. She paid for the funeral only to learn afterward that the will was never changed. She went to confront her stepmother, only to find that she and her sons had already flown to Florida, taken the money, and moved. My mom tried to sue, but due to state laws and lack of written evidence, the suit couldn’t get off the ground. And that’s how my mother lost a multi-million dollar inheritance and got stuck with a $50k funeral bill.
Reaching millionaire status is a feat people dream of achieving. But unfortunately, having millions of dollars doesn’t mean you’re invincible. Recently, ex-millionaires and people who know ex-millionaires are sharing how they lost all their money, and it’s a mix of wild and surprising.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
