Even wealthy Americans are relying on family members to stay rich.

That's according to new data from Merrill Edge, which found that a third of "mass affluent" Americans are waiting on an inheritance to achieve financial stability. The study includes responses from 1,000 participants and defines the "mass affluent" as those with investable assets between $50,000 and $250,000.

Despite those assets, "when it comes to financial freedom, Americans may not be as independent as they think they are," the report says.

Younger generations seem to be the most reliant on family and friends for financial stability. Although 87 percent of Generation Z (ages 18 to 22) say they take a do-it-yourself approach to money, 63 percent say that they're also waiting on an inheritance. Almost a third of millennials (ages 23 to 40) say they're waiting to be left money as well.

Even older generations are dependent on family wealth coming to them, with 20 percent of boomers (ages 54 to 72) counting on an inheritance.