You’ve built a nest egg after years of consistent work, prudent planning, strategic risk, a lot of focus, and a bit of luck. You want to retire peacefully and provide a legacy that will hopefully secure some degree of wealth for you family for generations to come.
But what are the odds of wealth making it decades (or even centuries) after you are gone? If history is any indication, most inheritances won’t make it long at all. Wealth surviving into the third generation only happens in one out of ten cases. As a recent Senior Independent story on the subject reminded, this principles takes the form of an often-used refrain: “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.”
The story points out that over the course of their lifetimes about two-thirds of Baby Boomers in the United States will inherit about $7.6 trillion. Yet, those same individuals will lose about 70% of that wealth before passing any of it on to their own children or other relatives.
Can you do anything to prevent this rapid dissipation in your case?
While it is usually impossible to have a 100% guarantee that wealth will survive indefinitely, there are many different steps that can make it far more likely. Those steps usually take two forms: (1) Taking advantage of legal tools that structure the inheritance in smart ways; (2) Having open conversations with beneficiaries so they understand money management and the importance of financial acumen.
In the first regard, various legacy trusts and “spendthrift” trusts exist which may be able to insulate wealth from beneficiaries who are not prepared to handle too much wealth too early (or all at once). An estate planning attorney can explain the prudent moves in your case. It usually depends on the size of your assets, type of assets, and unique family situation.
Regardless of specific legal planning, it is also critical to have honest conversations with family members about money management and financial responsibility. Also, it may be helpful to provide some inheritance early on, to get a feel for how the children will handle it. This may serve as a lesson for them in prudent financial smarts as well as provide you an opportunity to evaluate if safeguards needs to be put in place to protect their inheritance down the road. If family businesses are involved it may similarly be helpful to allow a second-generation family members to exert some control early on, so that are not completely blindsided by the decision-making process when you are not there to provide guidance and support.