Turning Up the Lights
A Progressive Approach to Wealth Disclosure
Authored by the Merrill Center for Family Wealth®
Many wealth creators grapple with finding the most effective way to disclose details of their wealth to the rising generation. Some worry that explicitly hearing about the existence of wealth may foster entitlement and a lack of personal growth among the rising generation — and so they avoid the conversation entirely. Other wealth creators initiate a conversation but unveil too much financial information at once, causing family members to feel overwhelmed, unprepared or resentful.
At the Merrill Center for Family Wealth®, we have worked with hundreds of families over the last decade, helping them effectively plan for complex financial conversations with loved ones. Our whitepaper, Turning Up the Lights, details a framework the Center has developed called “The Dimmer Switch approach” to help families have thoughtful conversations about wealth. This framework serves as a roadmap for pacing conversations in a way that's manageable for both the wealth creator and the rising generation. This method offers family members a chance to understand the broader context around wealth — and the opportunity to build skills and knowledge to help prepare for the future.
If you’d like help navigating complex wealth conversations with your family members, contact your Merrill private wealth advisor, who can leverage resources and insights of the Merrill Center for Family Wealth®.
