Boomer Inheritances a Relative Rarity

Only 6% of working Americans age 45 or over have inherited $250,000 or more, according to a new survey by Brightwork Partners for Putnam Investments. Only 1% have inherited $1 million or more.

Marketwatch reports that 17% of those surveyed had received some inheritance, but half of them received less than $38,000.

Workers age 45 or over will need all the financial inflow they can get, expecially if they have children:

Almost one-third of working Americans 45 and older with a grown child over age 25 pay rent or provide housing for that child, the survey found. Meanwhile, 45% of middle-age workers with grown children provide financial support of about $2,500 a year on average.

The survey also indicates that almost one 45-or-over worker in five is helping to support an elderly parent.