Kiplinger

Aug 08, 2024

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How to Help Your Kids Inherit More Than Just Your Money

The transfer of wealth across generations has long been a complex and emotionally charged topic. Parents often struggle with balancing their desire to provide financial security for their children while ensuring this wealth does not diminish their drive, values or happiness. As an adviser specializing in wealth transfer and focused on the impact of wealth, I have observed the profound effects that money can have on individuals and families. Most parents I know emphasize the importance of passing on not just financial assets but also values, principles and a sense of purpose to ensure the well-being and happiness of future generations.

 

By now, you’ve probably heard of the Great Wealth Transfer, the estimated $45 trillion to $90 trillion that will change hands from the Baby Boomer generation to their heirs over the next 25 years. However, the term “Great Wealth Transfer” doesn’t fully capture what happens when one generation passes the torch to the next. For most people, who you are and what your legacy will be extends far beyond monetary value. We want to ensure that our life’s work, core values, family harmony and philanthropic passions continue to make a difference long after we’re gone.

 

Said simply, we want our children to be happy and healthy and to love one another. Everything beyond that is a bonus. Achieving this requires taking a holistic approach to estate planning. It’s time we shift our perspective and recognize the full opportunity before us: Rather than just a wealth transfer, it’s a “Great Legacy Handoff.”

 

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Read more: How to Help Your Kids Inherit More Than Just Your Money

[Steve Lockshin for Kiplinger]