UBS's May 2026 Global Wealth Report projects $124 trillion will change hands between generations over the next 25 years — the largest intergenerational wealth movement in human history. Is your family ready?
The Number That Should Stop You
Gone by Generation 2
Seven in ten families lose their inherited wealth within the second generation.
Gone by Generation 3
Nine in ten families see their wealth fully depleted by the third generation.
Families Studied
A twenty-year Williams Group study tracked over 3,250 families to reach these conclusions.
Why Wealth Disappears
The root causes of wealth loss are overwhelmingly non-financial. Yet most planning time is spent on the smallest slice of the problem.
The Three V's Framework
Successful wealth transfer starts with meaning — not mechanics. The Three V's provide a proven sequence for family planning conversations.
Values
What was the wealth for? What principles and priorities should guide how it's used?
Vision
What should the wealth do for the family over the next 50 years? What legacy do you want to leave?
Vehicles
Trusts, insurance, beneficiary designations — the legal and financial structures. These come last, not first.
Most Families Do This Backwards
What Families Do
They start with vehicles: "Do I need a trust?"
They jump straight to structures and legal documents without ever having the values or vision conversation.
Result: Structures that don't reflect what the family actually wanted.
What Families Should Do
Start with Values — align on what the wealth means and what it's for.
Move to Vision — define what success looks like across generations.
Only then design the Vehicles — the right structures emerge naturally from the right conversations.
What I See in Indianapolis Families
These patterns repeat across Hamilton County and the greater Indianapolis area. Do any of these sound familiar?
The Wealth Gap
Parents in their 60s–70s with $1M–$5M net worth — typical for Hamilton County — whose adult children have no idea what's in the will.
Outdated Documents
Estate documents from 10+ years ago naming the wrong people — ex-spouses, deceased relatives, or children who were minors at the time.
Frozen Grandparents
Grandparents who want to do something meaningful for the next generation but don't know how or where to start.
The 5-Document Foundation
Every Indiana family with meaningful assets should have these five documents in place — current, reviewed, and properly coordinated.
Current Will
Reviewed within the last 5 years. Life changes; your will should reflect it.
Living Trust
Essential if you own real estate or a business. Avoids probate and protects privacy.
Durable POAs
Both financial and healthcare powers of attorney. Critical for incapacity planning.
Beneficiary Designations
Must be current. These override your will — a common and costly oversight.
Life Insurance
Term coverage plus possibly permanent, depending on your stage and goals.
The Insurance Layer — Two Roles
Life insurance serves a fundamentally different purpose depending on where you are in your wealth journey.
Role 1: Income Replacement
Under retirement age — If the primary earner dies before wealth has fully accumulated, term life replaces the income stream and protects the family's financial foundation.
Role 2: Liquidity at Death
Over retirement age — Permanent life provides immediate cash for taxes, debts, and heir equalization. Keeps farms, businesses, and family homes intact rather than forcing a sale.
The Family Meeting & Your 90-Day Plan
The family meeting is awkward. It is also inevitable and necessary. Don't wait until someone is sick — hold it while everyone is healthy and rational. Topics: values, vision, vehicles. In that order.
Your Next Step
Start with a free 15-minute conversation to walk through where your family sits on the 70% timeline. Or join us at our next community estate planning event.
Book a 1:1 Strategy Call
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Glaciers to Wealth — practical wealth planning conversations. podcast.glacierstowealth.com
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The Great Wealth Transfer: A Field Guide for Indiana Families