http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303990604577370001234970954.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

From the Wall Street Journal on Monday, June 11, 2012:

Worth the read.  Great reminder that (a) you should probably not be planning on an expected inheritance to take care of your retirement savings for yourself; (b) you should seriously be having a frank talk with your parents about their finances; (c) your siblings probably ought to be involved in that conversation;

Baby boomers: Get ready for a double whammy.

For years now, there’s been a lot of talk about boomers getting tremendous windfalls as their parents pass on. Many boomers, in fact, have been lagging behind in their savings, betting on—hoping for—big bequests, especially since many of them suffered big losses in 2008.

But for a growing number of boomers, things aren’t going according to plan. The postwar generation is living longer—and many are spending their savings along the way. And, of course, many of them also took a hit in 2008.

The result is that, as a group, boomers likely won’t be getting as much of an inheritance as they hoped. Even worse, far from receiving a bequest, a growing number are tapping some of their own savings to help their cash-strapped parents make ends meet.