Inherit a Fortune Out of the Blue

Takeaways

• Be pro-active. If there is a fortune out there with literally your name on it then go out and grab it.

• Sometimes luck and wealth just falls into your lap. It's just how the world works.

• Never discard those trinkets, jewellery or bashed old coins your Grannie or Grandad leaves you. They could be worth a fortune.

• It can often pay to seek professional help from those experienced in seeking out inheritances.

• Sometimes good people do win big. Always be kind. It will pay off for you.

Inherit a Fortune 1 - Lucky 70

Perhaps it would have taken Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara too long to write a will given how many times he may have had to provide a signature.

Back in the 1990s the Portuguese aristocrat decided the best way to bequest his fortune would be to look in the local telephone directory. He found 70 lucky people at random he chose to share his fortune with.

On his death in 2007 the bemused and excited people were told the good news that they were the lucky ones to inherit a fortune.

There was plenty to go around. Luis was a childless bachelor with a 12-room apartment in central Lisbon, a healthy bank balance, a luxury car and two motorbikes.

After his death one of his friends told Portuguese TV: "He was a good man, although he drank a lot."

But another of his associates was more flattering declaring: "I am sure he just wanted to create confusion by leaving his belongings to strangers. That amused him."

Inherit a Fortune 2 - Unclaimed Estates

There are potentially thousands of people living in the UK who could be on the verge of inheriting a fortune. According to the UK Government there are over 7000 unclaimed estates linked to people who were either born or died here,

Those people did not make a will and with no married partners or close relatives to pass their inheritance on to their fortunes have gone unclaimed.

All you need to do is go on the site and if you recognise a potential relative you can make a claim. If it is successful then you could suddenly find yourself a very wealthy person.

Inherit a Fortune 3 - Magical Money

In 1997 a primary school teacher visited a fete and bought the first Harry Potter novel - The Philosopher's Stone - for only £1. 

The teacher thought that the book looked fun and magical and was sure that her four daughters would love it.

Unfortunately, the teacher died in 2005 and gave her daughters the hardback book as part of their inheritance.

The family knew that Harry Potter books could be valuable and so took it along to an auctioneer.

They informed the family that the book was worth between £30,000 and £70,000.

That's because the teacher had bought a rare first edition - one of only 500 copies of the J.K. Rowling novel ever printed.

The daughters are planning to split the proceeds from any sale in tribute to their 'lovely mum's legacy'.

"Mum was always buying things at fetes, fairs and car boot sales," said one daughter.

TV Riches

Solihull pensioner John Hall recently received a £200,000 inheritance windfall following an investigation by BBC TV programme Heir Hunters.

The show's researchers had been looking into the case of Shirley Street who died in a nursing home in 2015. She hadn't made a will and did not have any close relatives.

It was discovered that Shirley's late Dad had had a sister called Maria. She turned out to be Mr Hall's grandmother.

"The whole experience has been quite bizarre. To think I could be inheriting some money from someone I didn't know existed," Hall said.

It Pays to be Kind

Bill Craxton, a widower with no children, was a regular customer at a Cleveland cafe in the early 1990s. He liked to go to the cafe every day and soon sparked up a friendship with 17-year-old waitress Cara Wood.

The old man always asked to be served by Wood because he found her to be bright, friendly and helpful.

Indeed, she even helped him with errands at home. "He knew that Cara's dad had died," remembered colleague, Maggie North. "I think he felt like he was a father figure. He bought her some gifts and things. I believe he was lonely."

Craxton re-wrote his will and on his death in 1992 left Wood half a million dollars. A kind way to inherit a fortune.

Baby Shower

This is a strange one. Canadian lawyer Charles Millar who died in 1926 said that his $10million fortune would be inherited by whichever woman in Toronto gave birth to the most babies in the following decade. It led to 11 families taking part in the challenge which became known as the 'Great Stork Derby'.

At the end of the decade there was a tie with four women each giving birth to nine children. They were well rewarded for their efforts!