Start a transfer

Resources & Research

Understand the gap. Close it together.

Read the research on why wealth transfers break down, then use the checklists, templates, and family review guides that help everyone work from the same plan. Start with what fits your role.

Start a transferSee how a shared plan works

Research and tools for every seat at the table

The research says the problem is rarely the documents. These resources help you act on the part that is: getting everyone onto one plan.

Research on why transfers fail

The Williams Group attributes about 60% of wealth-transfer breakdowns to communication and trust failures, not taxes or legal errors, and 25% to unprepared heirs. We summarize the findings from Fidelity, Wells Fargo, the Williams Group, J.P. Morgan, and Truist in plain language so you can see where your own family stands.

  • Fidelity's 2025 Family and Finance Study on what parents have and haven't shared
  • Wells Fargo's findings on fairness disputes among adult children
  • J.P. Morgan's finding that roughly 7 in 10 family members struggle to discuss legacy
What the research shows

Parents who haven't told heirs

68% (Fidelity, 2025)

68% complete

  • Detailed estate conversations held21% (Wells Fargo, 2026)
  • Breakdowns from communication and trustAbout 60% (Williams Group)
  • Breakdowns from unprepared heirs25% (Williams Group)

Guides for grantors and heirs

Practical guides walk you through what to write, who to tell, and what to do first. Grantors get help explaining unequal distributions in a letter of intent, and newly named executors get a first-30-days checklist.

  • How to share your plan with your family after the documents are signed
  • Letter-of-intent examples for blended families and unequal distributions
  • What a newly named executor or trustee should do first
Guides by role

Grantor

Tell your family what's in the plan, and why

  • SpouseKnow who to call and where things are
  • ExecutorYour first 30 days, in order
  • TrusteeYour duties, limits, and decision record

Playbooks for advisors

RIAs and estate attorneys get conversation starters, invite templates, and family meeting guides that turn a signed plan into a plan the family uses. They are written to help you open the legacy conversation without adding hours to your week.

  • Scripts for inviting heirs and trustees after document signing
  • Agenda templates for a family review you can co-facilitate
  • Language that makes clear Wealth Transfer coordinates the plan and does not give legal advice
Advisor toolkit

Invite email

Ready to send in your own voice

  • Family review agendaRoles, documents, open tasks
  • Client checklistPost-signing tasks to complete
  • Co-branded workspaceYour firm's name on the plan

Questions about our research and resources

Where do the statistics on this page come from?

Each figure is attributed to the study that published it, including Fidelity's 2025 Family and Finance Study, Wells Fargo's 2026 study, and the Williams Group. We quote them as those organizations reported them and do not round or combine them.

How large is the wealth transfer?

The research we cite points to $124 trillion changing hands between generations over the coming decades. Our focus is the part of that transfer families can control: whether the people giving and receiving wealth share one clear plan.

Do these resources give legal or tax advice?

No. They are educational guides to help you organize and communicate your plan. Wealth Transfer sits beside your attorney or advisor, and it does not draft or execute legal documents.

I already have a trust. Will these still help?

Yes, they are written for exactly that moment. The documents are signed, but the family may not know what's in them or why, and our guides help you close that gap.

I'm an advisor. Can I share these with clients?

Yes. The invite templates, conversation starters, and review agendas are made for advisors to use with clients and their heirs. You can also talk with us about a demo of a co-branded family workspace.

Turn what you've read into a plan

Start a transfer and bring your spouse, heirs, trustee, and advisor onto one shared plan.

Start a transfer