I inherited $15,000 and had fun with it. Then I inherited six figures a few years later and was more strategic — here's what I learned.

• Gina Knox inherited about $130,000 from a college fund and her grandmother.
• She used some of the money to go on a trip and some to start her financial-coaching business.
• She recommends not rushing to decide what to do if you come into money.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gina Knox, a 30-year-old financial coach who has twice inherited money. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was 22, I inherited money for the first time. I had just graduated, and there was around $15,000 left in a college fund that my grandparents had set up for me.