But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. Ecclesiastes 5:14 (KJV)
Qoheleth puts forward the non-inheritable nature of wealth quite literally here. There are those without a son (4:7-8), and those with one as mentioned here. (Provan, 145) In both cases, there is no guarantee that the wealth would survive his death. The rich man’s wealth is not above the transient nature of things. As Henry notes, ‘riches are perishable things.’
References:
Henry, M. (1706). Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete, Eccl. 5:9-17
Provan, I. (2001). Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs: The New Application Commentary, Zondervan
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