The Great Wealth TransferAug 26, 2025While I’ve been rather public about what my family is going through, I would like to zoom out for a bit and (re)share some thinking from our friends at Alts, as I believe it will help frame the state of play:Right now, there’s a slow-motion tidal wave crashing over the US economy – the Great Wealth Transfer. Over the next two decades, up to $84 trillion is expected to be passed down from parents to the next generation. That’s the largest generational wealth transfer in human history, equivalent to about 1.3x the value of all US stocks.Why is this current wealth transfer so great? There’s one big reason: Baby Boomers. After World War II, soaring US birth rates resulted in about 76 million Boomers being born. Combine that massive population with decades of strong economic growth, and you have the perfect storm for a huge wealth transfer ~80 years later.Boomers are the driving force behind the Great Wealth Transfer, but Silent Generation and Gen X parents are also playing a role. Data: Cerulli AssociatesBut here’s the problem – this ‘Great’ Wealth Transfer isn’t turning out so great in practice. With lifespans growing longer and medical costs rising, the inheritance wave is starting to look more like a trickle.Given the current state of play, we need to be open to new ideas, new approaches, and new ways to help ourselves. The magic will be in how honest we are with each other about our realities and constraints, hopes and dreams, as well as the novel approaches to moving families forward…
The Great Wealth TransferAug 26, 2025While I’ve been rather public about what my family is going through, I would like to zoom out for a bit and (re)share some thinking from our friends at Alts, as I believe it will help frame the state of play:Right now, there’s a slow-motion tidal wave crashing over the US economy – the Great Wealth Transfer. Over the next two decades, up to $84 trillion is expected to be passed down from parents to the next generation. That’s the largest generational wealth transfer in human history, equivalent to about 1.3x the value of all US stocks.Why is this current wealth transfer so great? There’s one big reason: Baby Boomers. After World War II, soaring US birth rates resulted in about 76 million Boomers being born. Combine that massive population with decades of strong economic growth, and you have the perfect storm for a huge wealth transfer ~80 years later.Boomers are the driving force behind the Great Wealth Transfer, but Silent Generation and Gen X parents are also playing a role. Data: Cerulli AssociatesBut here’s the problem – this ‘Great’ Wealth Transfer isn’t turning out so great in practice. With lifespans growing longer and medical costs rising, the inheritance wave is starting to look more like a trickle.Given the current state of play, we need to be open to new ideas, new approaches, and new ways to help ourselves. The magic will be in how honest we are with each other about our realities and constraints, hopes and dreams, as well as the novel approaches to moving families forward…
While I’ve been rather public about what my family is going through, I would like to zoom out for a bit and (re)share some thinking from our friends at Alts, as I believe it will help frame the state of play:Right now, there’s a slow-motion tidal wave crashing over the US economy – the Great Wealth Transfer. Over the next two decades, up to $84 trillion is expected to be passed down from parents to the next generation. That’s the largest generational wealth transfer in human history, equivalent to about 1.3x the value of all US stocks.Why is this current wealth transfer so great? There’s one big reason: Baby Boomers. After World War II, soaring US birth rates resulted in about 76 million Boomers being born. Combine that massive population with decades of strong economic growth, and you have the perfect storm for a huge wealth transfer ~80 years later.Boomers are the driving force behind the Great Wealth Transfer, but Silent Generation and Gen X parents are also playing a role. Data: Cerulli AssociatesBut here’s the problem – this ‘Great’ Wealth Transfer isn’t turning out so great in practice. With lifespans growing longer and medical costs rising, the inheritance wave is starting to look more like a trickle.Given the current state of play, we need to be open to new ideas, new approaches, and new ways to help ourselves. The magic will be in how honest we are with each other about our realities and constraints, hopes and dreams, as well as the novel approaches to moving families forward…
While I’ve been rather public about what my family is going through, I would like to zoom out for a bit and (re)share some thinking from our friends at Alts, as I believe it will help frame the state of play:
Right now, there’s a slow-motion tidal wave crashing over the US economy – the Great Wealth Transfer. Over the next two decades, up to $84 trillion is expected to be passed down from parents to the next generation. That’s the largest generational wealth transfer in human history, equivalent to about 1.3x the value of all US stocks.
Why is this current wealth transfer so great? There’s one big reason: Baby Boomers. After World War II, soaring US birth rates resulted in about 76 million Boomers being born. Combine that massive population with decades of strong economic growth, and you have the perfect storm for a huge wealth transfer ~80 years later.
Boomers are the driving force behind the Great Wealth Transfer, but Silent Generation and Gen X parents are also playing a role. Data: Cerulli Associates
But here’s the problem – this ‘Great’ Wealth Transfer isn’t turning out so great in practice. With lifespans growing longer and medical costs rising, the inheritance wave is starting to look more like a trickle.
Given the current state of play, we need to be open to new ideas, new approaches, and new ways to help ourselves. The magic will be in how honest we are with each other about our realities and constraints, hopes and dreams, as well as the novel approaches to moving families forward…