The Inheritor's Index
Inheritors Index
An ongoing index clocking the largest intergenerational wealth shift in American history. Facts. Not forecasts. Updated quarterly.
The Inheritor's Index
An ongoing index clocking the largest intergenerational wealth shift in American history. Facts. Not forecasts. Updated quarterly.
$123.7T
Total projected transfer through 2048
Cerulli Associates, 2025
$105.3T
Projected transfer to heirs
Cerulli Associates, 2025
$18.4T
Projected transfer to charity
Cerulli Associates, 2025
~$14T
Expected to transfer before 2035
Cerulli Associates, 2025
63%
Share of transfer originating from Baby Boomers
Morgan Stanley
$54T
Horizontal transfers (spouse-to-spouse)
Cerulli Associates, 2025
95%
Inter-spousal transfers going to women
UBS
$30T
Boomer assets women will control by 2030
UBS
52%
Americans without wills
Northwestern Mutual, 2024
40%
Believe they lack sufficient assets for wills
Caring.com, 2025
13%
Americans with living trusts
Caring.com, 2025
~90%
Assets transferred at death vs. lifetime gifting
Cerulli Associates
3-7%
Average probate cost as percentage of estate
American Bar Association
20 mo
Average probate duration
Trust & Will, 2024
$15M
Federal estate tax threshold (2026) per individual / $30M per couple
IRS, 2026
~0.5%
Households affected by federal estate tax
Tax Policy Center
12 + DC
States with estate or inheritance taxes
Tax Foundation
67%
Digital assets never inherited due to access failures
McAfee Digital Legacy Survey
10 yr
Required drain period for inherited retirement accounts
SECURE Act
~70%
Wealth dissipated by second generation
Williams Group