Preserving a functional set of cytoplasmic organelles in a eukaryotic cell requires a process of accurate organelle inheritance at cell division. Studies of peroxisome inheritance in yeast have revealed that polarized transport of a subset of peroxisomes to the emergent daughter cell is balanced by retention mechanisms operating in both mother cell and bud to achieve an equitable distribution of peroxisomes between them. It is becoming apparent that some common mechanistic principles apply to the inheritance of all organelles, but at the same time, inheritance factors specific for each organelle type allow the cell to differentially and specifically control the inheritance of its different organelle populations.