Millions of British consumers are relying on an inheritance to solve their money problems and keep their finances healthy, it has been suggested.

According to a report from price comparison firm Fool.co.uk, almost half of adults in the UK are expecting to receive some kind of windfall from older generations of their family.

However, many are set to be disappointed because only one in four people feel confident that they will be in a position to bequeath the majority of their assets when they die and 61 per cent plan to worry about their own wellbeing first and foremost.

Additionally, the debt management and money problems of aging Britons are such that one person in 25 believes that they will barely have a penny to their name when they die.

"We can no longer rely on assets being passed down the family tree," said David Kuo, head of personal finance at Fool.co.uk.

"For the many of us who are struggling to make ends meet, we will have to fend for ourselves in the here and now."

According to a recent report from YouthNet and Citizens Advice, people in the UK are becoming stressed about their money problems from an early age and many teenagers are now worried about debt management.