Misconceptions About Estate Planning May Cause Black Americans to Miss Out on the $68 Trillion Transfer of Generational Wealth

An estimated $68 trillion will be transferred from U.S. households to heirs and charities over the next 25 years, and Black Americans might miss out on this transfer.

According to an analysis of high net worth and ultra-high net worth markets by consulting group Cerulli Associates, by 2047 trillions will have been passed down to future generations, and due to a lag in estate planning in Black America, Blacks might not actively transfer wealth to their descendants.

Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash

While white families had a median wealth of $188,200, compared to $24,100 for Black families, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, what wealth Blacks do have may never get passed down.

Experts urge more Americans, especially Black Americans, to plan for life after death.

Black Americans could miss out on the most significant wealth transfer in history, Brickson Diamond, co-founder of Black House Foundation, a nonprofit that creates new opportunities for the Black community in the film world, told CNBC.

By not having a will that indicates who should receive your property and assets, “so many families lose their family access and ownership of land,” he said.

Everyone over the age of 18 should make a plan, Portia Wood, a Los Angeles-based estate attorney who focuses on Black, Latino and LGBTQ families, told CNBC.

“The misconception that age is a factor, that you’re supposed to be old to do estate planning, or you’re supposed to be wealthy to do estate planning is just wrong,” she said.

Read full story at Finurah here.


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