For years, we’ve been writing and talking about this trillion dollar wealth transition that is “going to happen in the next ten years”, ostensibly as baby boomers retire. But has it happened? The fact that we’re still talking about it as “happening” says plenty.
We need to ask: why were the predictions of so many people incorrect? and more importantly, what (if anything) should we be doing differently about it?
I’ve written previously about the “two speed” state of wealth – splitting by value rather than by number. Broad aggregate statistics do not tell the whole story. There are millions of relatively ‘small’ wealth transitions, and a much smaller number of very large wealth transitions. Within each ‘wealth band’, they work very differently.
My view is that one of the biggest impacts is increasing life expectancies. People (particularly those in business) don’t retire at 65; they can often continue to be productive for another 10-20 years or more. By that time, there may be two (or more) generations who are active in the family enterprise.
This can leave the rising generation as ‘waiters’ for a lot longer than they used to be. Does anyone want to be handed control of the family enterprise or inherit significant wealth in their 60s? Think of Prince Charles – born and raised to be king, and now 73 and still waiting for his turn.
With longer life expectancies, it’s time for a rethink on what intergenerational wealth transition actually means and how it should work. More on this theme to come in future newsletters.
Consider This: How old is the ‘rising generation’ in your family? Is your own family’s wealth transition plan on track as envisaged ten years ago?
Original articles:
- We need a major redesign of life
- Improving investor behavior: Longevity and the fear of running out of money
- Generational interdependency has grown as we continue to live longer
Here is more on reading on wealth management.
