The so-called "great wealth transfer," the period when Baby Boomers die and pass on their roughly $110 trillion in wealth to their children and grandchildren, may not happen as soon as they expect, according to the Wall Street Journal. Don't Miss:It's Not If, But When That doesn't mean the "great wealth transfer" won't happen, but the timing and potential size of it are “misunderstood,” John Sabelhaus, a Brookings Institution economist, told the Journal. Sabelhaus said the group with the greatest aggregate wealth in 2021 was between the ages of 55 and 64, which means they could have decades left to live. That is particularly true if they are part of the top 1% of earners. An analysis from Harvard economist Raj Chetty and other researchers found top earners tend to live well into their late 80s.Long-Term Care Could Eat Away At The Pie Even if Boomers continue to accumulate wealth, particularly if the stock market keeps increasing — the S&P 500 is up 8.1% year-to-date — they could spend some of their wealth on daily expenses and long-term care, which will leave less for their children and grandchildren. Trending: More Than Half of Americans Aren't Prepared for Retirement — Including 62% of Gen YAfter all, long-term care isn't cheap. The national median annual cost for a private nursing home room was $129,575 in 2025, while the hourly rate for private duty nurses was $90 per hour, according to Genworth Financial. First Comes Spouse Not to mention that when the boomers do die, they will pass their wealth on to their spouses first, which means their children and grandchildren will have to wait even longer for their inheritance.That trend is already happening. Pointing to survey data from the Federal Reserve, the Journal reported that between 1998 and 2010 Americans in their late 50s were most likely to report receiving an inheritance. Between 2013 and 2022, that range increased to people in their mid-60s. The good news for Gen X and millennials is that Boomers haven't figured out how to live forever, so they will eventually get their piece of the inheritance pie. They just may have to wait longer than anticipated to receive it.As inheritance timelines become less predictable, some investors are turning to financial advisers to help build retirement plans that don't depend on receiving family wealth. Advisers can also help families navigate estate planning, taxes and long-term care considerations tied to generational wealth transfers.Read Next:
Sorry Gen X And Millennials — You May Have To Wait Longer To Get A Piece Of The $110T Wealth Transfer
The so-called "great wealth transfer," the period when Baby Boomers die and pass on their roughly $110 trillion in wealth to their children and grandchildren, may not happen as soon as they expect, according to the Wall Street Journal. Don't Miss:It's Not If, But When That doesn't mean the "great wealth transfer" won't happen, but the timing and potential size of it are “misunderstood,” John Sabelhaus, a Brookings Institution economist, told the Journal. Sabelhaus said the group with the greatest aggregate wealth in 2021 was between the ages of 55 and 64, which means they could have decades left to live. That is particularly true if they are part of the top 1% of earners. An analysis from Harvard economist Raj Chetty and other researchers found top earners tend to live well into their late 80s.Long-Term Care Could Eat Away At The Pie Even if Boomers continue to accumulate wealth, particularly if the stock market keeps increasing — the S&P 500 is up 8.1% year-to-date — they could spend some of their wealth on daily expenses and long-term care, which will leave less for their children and grandchildren. Trending: More Than Half of Americans Aren't Prepared for Retirement — Including 62% of Gen YAfter all, long-term care isn't cheap. The national median annual cost for a private nursing home room was $129,575 in 2025, while the hourly rate for private duty nurses was $90 per hour, according to Genworth Financial. First Comes Spouse Not to mention that when the boomers do die, they will pass their wealth on to their spouses first, which means their children and grandchildren will have to wait even longer for their inheritance.That trend is already happening. Pointing to survey data from the Federal Reserve, the Journal reported that between 1998 and 2010 Americans in their late 50s were most likely to report receiving an inheritance. Between 2013 and 2022, that range increased to people in their mid-60s. The good news for Gen X and millennials is that Boomers haven't figured out how to live forever, so they will eventually get their piece of the inheritance pie. They just may have to wait longer than anticipated to receive it.As inheritance timelines become less predictable, some investors are turning to financial advisers to help build retirement plans that don't depend on receiving family wealth. Advisers can also help families navigate estate planning, taxes and long-term care considerations tied to generational wealth transfers.Read Next:
