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Almost half of the adult population has factored an unguaranteed inheritance into their long-term financial plan, according a recent report.

Findings from personal finance website Fool was conducted among 1024 individuals in May and June, and revealed 11 per cent of people believed an inheritiance would be vital to their financial plan. A further 29 per cent hoped to inherit something, although felt it would be rude to say so.

On a more subdued note, the survey found that one in 25 people expected to die without any savings, however 25 per cent of respondents said they believed they would be able to leave the majority of their assets to the next generation.

Tellingly, 61 per cent said they would look after themselves before worrying about leaving an inheritance.

On average, people expected to inherit £99,500, with nearly half respondents hoping to inherit £50,000 or more and 3 per cent hoping to inherit £1m.

David Kuo, head of personal finance for Fool, warned that relying on the same financial certainties as previous generations could lead to disappointment.

He said: "The world has changed significantly since Grandma divided up the cash under the mattress in her final hours. Many of us do not own our homes outright, and the idea of a job for life is dead and buried."

"However, we can no longer rely on assets being passed down the family tree. And for the many of us who are struggling to make ends meet, we will have to fend for ourselves in the here and now.